Mayom commissioner says referendum reflects the will of the south

By Bonifacio Taban Kuich

January 31, 2011 (BENTIU) – The commissioner of Mayom County of Unity State, John Madeng Gatduel, has welcomed the announcement of that South Sudan has overwhelmingly voted for independence in January’s referendum.

Gatduel said the success of the referendum shows the diplomacy shown by Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) who govern the south..

The commissioner said that the referendum was the last step to find a solution to the grievances of the south of how they have been treated since independence.

The SPLM, he said, is committed to fully implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in Naivasha Kenya in 2005 to end decades of civil war between the north and south.

Of the registered voters in Unity state 497,477 people opted for independence, constituting 99.98 percent; 98.83 percent of Southern Sudanese in Sudan, and in the eight other countries where voting took place, voted for secession. Gatduel said that the result has shown the world the will of the south to separate from north through the referendum, which has been widely approved by international and Sudanese observer missions.

Citizens in Unity state watched the declaration results on South Sudan Television on Sunday. The south is due to become Africa’s 54th country. The final results will be declared in the national capital of Khartoum on February 14 after any challenges have been made.

(ST)