South Sudan first counting kicks off
By Isaac Vuni
April 22, 2008 (JUBA) — The fifth Sudan National population and housing Census kick off today in southern Sudan marking the first effective counting for the whole southern Sudan population since the independence of the Sudan in 1956, it will last for fifteen days as it is the case for the other parts of Sudan.
In South Sudan, the counting began with the First Vice President of the Republic and President of the government of Southern Sudan, Lt.Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit and the family in Juba in the early morning hour of 22nd April 2008.
President Kiir said it was the second time in life for him to be counted, with the first being in 1983 when he was a soldier of Sudan Armed Forces and only followed the order given to them by his boss.
However, that it was with sadness that the IDPs and refugees have not repatriated to participate in this vital census in their respective home areas as previously planned. Otherwise, their participation would be of a national responsibility that every Sudanese have to carry out, he emphasized.
He said the war in Sudan has been fought along identity identification of where does the Sudan belong, African or an Arab country? Secondly there has been the chronic issue of religion that prompted the ruling National Congress party (NCP) to unilaterally declared Sudan as an Islamic state while neglecting the rights of the majority African Sudanese form different faith groups.
Adding that the platform NCP used to assume power was based on the Islamic religion therefore its necessary for counting people of Sudan along their religion line than basing it on assumption.
President Kiir noted that some people in South Sudan have never been counted in their life such as the Kachipo people of Jonglie state and some part of Eastern Equatoria state must be reach in this fifth Sudan national population and housing census.
“This time round we want to prove to those who used to count us by estimate by being genuinely counted in this fifth Sudan national population and housing census,” Kiir said.
He said the security for counting officials and of the entire people of southern Sudan has been taken care of by the organized forces of the government of South Sudan during the counting period.
Meanwhile the Chairman of Southern Sudan Commission for Census and Statistic Evaluation (SSCCSE) Mr. Isaiah Chol Aruai said Census has been postponed twice due to technical reasons and that the third postponement was political motivated. Aruai said its time for the people of Southern Sudan to stand up and be counted so that their populations are known worldwide.
He noted that the fifth Sudan national population and housing census would be the first for the people of South Sudan to effectively participate in its exercise. Otherwise, in the past the South used to be estimated and during the Sudan first census in 1956 the south was estimated to be three million. In 1973 the same figure was maintained meaning southerners were neither dying nor being born. In 1983 it was increased to five million and in 1993 partial census was carried out in the government control areas and the south was estimated to be four million.
He said there are 15,000 enumerators recruited to cover the ten states of South Sudan with each state having 1,500 enumerators plus other support staff working continuously for fifteen days as from 22nd April to 6th May 2008. It is projected that Southern Sudan population if properly counted, could reach fifteen million.
(ST)
Mr Famous Big_Logic_Boy
South Sudan first counting kicks off
What is hard about the IDPs to get back to their areas,did any of Goss minister attempt to made an opinions about this before other than talking when it’s late,we better complain about refugees who are out of Sudan and have not been repatriated to participate in the census and the answer would be simple as you have fail to stick to the idea of postponing it until the end of the year.we can blame you no one esle,so what is the matter now who cares gone is gone or done is done get to the next step
James James
South Sudan first counting kicks off
My pleasure everybod:
My special thanks goe to president Salva Kiir for his brave opinion of accepting Southerners to be counted, as he is 100% right, some citizens like Kachipo have never been even known as south Sudan citizens, we don’t know if they have share from the national or state wealth.
I think this is a very important time for us all to know our number through head to head count rather then by arab falsified estimates or greed-loaded guess.
Thank again president Kiir and may God bless the work of your hands.
God bless.
Manyang
South Sudan first counting kicks off
NCP has already manipulated the national census to it advantage. By Manyang Deng
It is now seem the NCP is slowly taking grip of the affairs of the country. It is unthinkable in any part of the world to restrict the crucial elements of the national census such as ethnicity and religion like it has been done in the sudan. The national census was to be completed in mid 2007 but the NIF deliberately delayed it because of the reasons known to it.
I do not think the architecs of the CPA were intending for the sudan national census to be conducted under the current situations in the country. Now National Islamic Front is actively conducting genocide in Darfur and many people from that area had fled the country. As result, they will not be counted in this national census and the regime in Khartoum will estimate their population. Will this be good for our country? In addition, NCP has failed to demarcate the North-South border which is the crucial step for conducting a fair national census. Will this lead to good or bad relation between former foes? Further more, the status of Abyei has not yet been resolved because NCP has no political will to put the issue to rest. The population in the Abyei region will not properly counted.
During the course of the sudanese brutal war many people had been displaced and NCP knew this very well. Many southerners are now in the north and NCP is intentionally refusing to provide the fund for repatriating these people to their places of origin. These people will not be counted or they will counted as arabs because the NCP is the one doing counting in the north without independent observers. Many people are also stranded in neighbouring countries longing to go home to be counted but they have no means. According to the CPA, the above issues were first to be addressed in order to have a comprehensive national census.
One question is lingering in the mind of many people. Why is the NCP refusing to include religion and ethnicity in the census. The previous governments and the current NIF were all comfortable to call sudan an islamic and Arab country. As a proof, the so called president of the sudan recently attended the Arabs summit in Damascus. Why don’t they prove it to the world that sudan is an arab country in this census.
The NCP/NIF has sensed the fear to their brutal regime. NCP knew that less than 30 per cent of the sudanese population is going to register as arabs. This what the fear most. To qoute the statement of our leader Dr John Garang, ” If less than 30 per cent of population can claimed sudan to be an islamic and arab country will other 70 per cent not call sudan an African country”.
My message to GOSS is that, you have to be consistent in your deliberations in order to win hearts and minds of the marginalized people of the Sudan. Do not confine yourself to southern borders because many people are out there waiting for your salvation. National issues such as the census has to be approached with consistency and not changing position on daily basis. Our beloved president Salva Kiir Mayardit told us that the issue ethnicity and religion had been addressed by the presidency. I doudt this, because we are not going to have another census very soon to include these issues.
Long live the marginalized people of the sudan
Samson Liberty
South Sudan first counting kicks off
In many circumstances as already been mentioned, many census challenges lies ahead.The first since counting kick off in Southern Sudan,like in Juba more thousands remained indoors the whole day expected to be counted in the first day.Yet a single enumerator was not seen by many in a single day,either registration is going slowly or number of enumerators are not enough to cover in certain larger counties like Juba.Not only that in the first day concentration was disturbed by drops of rains and this had already signaled on condition as stipulated in the out come of the GoSS council of ministers resolution of 15 April,2008.Furthermore,transport for enumerators if not enough will hinder progress,in the second day many has resumed official duties as some of them are house holders suppose to give full information to an enumerator entering a house at unknown time,where he or she may not get what is wanted,etc.As census counting continous people started developing different thoughts about the the census itself.The changes and the implications araising over the cause of challenges to be tackled,the issue of ethnicity and religion not seen in census forms will stagger in people’s minds.Ethnicity: migrations over decades keeps generating new and stronger groups of people minggling with the indeginous population.Nigerians(Falata),Egyptians,Eritreans,Ethiopians,Chadians etc.Some historians called Sudan a diversified country others an Islamic Country of (Arab World). They also say Sudan is inhabited by more than 500 different tribes(Arabs and Africans).The above similarities could virtually echo people’s believe to see ethnicity and religion more valuable to be documented.The mahadiya missionaries into Southern Sudan in the 19th centuary,objective for slavery and wealth had already put an impact to the lives of Southern Sudanese.Islam not only that but some sections of Southerners tend to adopt the Arabic Language and names insteads of Africans names just for prestige,else somebody may have a family name of Awad,Mustafa,Jima,Khamis,Awadia,Fatna etc,BUT in realities not by name such a person is a devoted christian believer,in pretext the end results in more political angle can be very complicated.
Gabe
South Sudan first counting kicks off
My dear Sudanese and indeed marginalized pupolation, it seems like the leadership in the southern sudan is celebrating, but logic told me long ago that the results are not going to be meanful to sudanese let alone southernese. we can disagree but lets waite. the only winner is NCP. i hope its change though.
Thank!