Sudan referendum: separation from the north or not?

A condition of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in January 2005 between the northern central government of Sudan (in Khartoum) and the newly autonomous Southern Sudan (the government ministries and parliament located in Juba) was that a referendum will be held in 2011 to vote for separation or unity. In other words, the referendum is a vote on whether Southern Sudan government should secede from the north –giving Southern Sudan independence and a new country. It’s the most important vote every Sudanese (whether from the north or the south) will have in their lifetime. That time is now.

The referendum will be held on Sunday, January 9, 2011.

When I interviewed Khartoum government representatives in 2006 and 2009—the Government of Sudan (GOS)—they acknowledged that they would need to put incentives in place for the vote to maintain one country. These incentives include government support, particularly through government funds to assist the emerging ministries in the South. They found it difficult to articulate other incentives at the time, and over time, people will determine whether the incentives (articulated or not) were enough.

Meanwhile, over the past 6 years, the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) has been developing its ministries “from scratch” – that is, not reforming the processes and procedures of the north, but rather, determining what they needed for their own autonomous region. Hence, they have made significant progress – progress that international donors recognize. Partly because international donors have assisted ministries and organizations and individuals in Southern Sudan, and partly because Southern Sudan has clear strategies in place – in education, health, legal affairs, social services etc.

However, despite six years working toward this inevitable referendum, there is still a great deal of work that is required if Sudanese people vote for separation. Schools are still required, teachers are required, health workers are required, clinics are required – there is a dearth of social services. Southern Sudan can build a country on their own – slowly and gradually – but to do it with reasonable speed for the benefit of all people requires substantial support not only from international donors, non-government organizations, and the Diaspora, but also from the Khartoum government.

If the referendum is a vote for separation, and despite the challenges, both north and south Sudan can be strong and independent if the governments work together to nurture peace and stability in the region.

{Martina Nicolls is the author of the novel, The Sudan Curse, and has worked in north and south Sudan since 2005}