South Sudan’s referendum should be held on time – UN envoy

By Julius N. Uma

August 27, 2010 (JUBA) – The United Nations remains committed to conducting of south Sudan’s forthcoming referendum on time and full implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), Haile Menkerios, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan said on Saturday.

The UN envoy made these remarks during the swearing-in ceremony of members of the 10 state referendum high committees, who are tasked with organizing the self determination vote due to take place in January 2011.

Consisting of five members each, the state-level high committees will be responsible for appointing subsidiary bodies at the state and county levels as well as the overall administration of the referendum process.

Southern Sudan Referendum Commission (SSRC) Chairperson, Mohammed Ibrahim Khalil presided over the event, which took place in Juba, the capital of southern Sudan.

“This is the beginning of the final stage in the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in southern Sudan and Abyei,” Menkerios said.

“We have a full mandate from the UN Security Council to support the efforts of the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission and that of Abyei, once it is formed, to fully carry out the conduct of the referenda in a free, fare and transparent manner,” the UN envoy added.

While speaking at the ceremony, the SSRC chairperson urged the newly installed state high committee members to take their responsibilities seriously.

“On your shoulders rests the bulk of the work,” Khalil said, adding that, “This is a milestone in the process, and you are responsible for your state and the subsidiary committees that you will have to appoint.”

Khalil admitted that his commission faced a historic, complicated and difficult task to prepare the country for the referendum.

“We need to devote all our energies and approach it with open minds and in good spirit,” he said.

A host of dignitaries attended the ceremony, including members of the resident diplomatic corps, representatives of UN agencies as well as various international organizations.

Preparations for the referenda remain behind schedule, with processes like voter registration, border demarcation, citizenship and future oil revenues all yet to be agreed and completed.

Voter registration should have taken place in July this year, but materials for the exercise have not beennot been approved.

Demarcating the border is also not straight forward as many of Sudan’s oil fields lie on the north-south divide.

(ST)