Referendum materials reach Jonglei as flooding overshadows voter registration
October 29, 2010 (BOR) – Consignments of referendum materials have arrived Jonglei’s state capital, Bor, as training of voter registration staffs has been hampered by flooding officials say.
“In reality, this is rainy season and there are floods everywhere. No cars will be moving during [voter] registration [in Jonglei state],” said Reuben Garang Yuol, the chairperson of Jonglei referendum state high committee (SHC), told the press on Friday in Bor town.
Southern Sudanese are due to vote in a referendum on 9 January, 2011 in accordance with a 2005 peace dealt that ended two decades north-south civil war where over two million lives were lost.
With two months left to the plebiscite, numerous issues that including border demarcation, citizenship and national debts are yet to be resolved by the peace partners; the former rebel group the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) who have governed the south since 2005 as part of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP).
The South Sudan Referendum Commission (SSRC) has set November 14 as date for commencement of voter registration.
The SSRC’s state high committee in Jonglei state has received office furniture, generators, motorcycles and computers, according to officials.
Voter registration equipments was due to arrive on Friday.
“All the coming days will be full of transportation of materials [from Juba] Bor,” Garang said in his first press address since assuming the chairmanship of the state’s referendum committee in August, 2010.
The referendum materials are to be hand over to the referendum sub-committees based at headquarters of counties.
United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) is airlifting referendum materials to state capitals in the south including counties that are inaccessible by road.
The flooding that is impeding, and in some instances stopping, land transport to the 11 counties of Jonglei state is also preventing thousands of voter registration staff receiving their salaries.
“Another obstacle is how money [for registration staffs] is going to be paid? We don’t know until now,” Garang said.
Training for voter registration is due to begin on Saturday in Bor town.
(ST)