A carnival atmosphere has engulfed the south’s capital, Juba Bashir: Sudan not ready for split
A carnival atmosphere has engulfed the south’s capital, Juba Sudan President Omar al-Bashir has warned that Southern Sudan will face instability if it votes to secede from the north in a forthcoming referendum.
He told al-Jazeera TV the south did not have the ability to create a stable state or provide for its citizens.
The BBC’s James Copnall in Khartoum says the comments will infuriate the SPLM – ex-rebels who have ruled the south since civil war ended in 2005.
Final rallies have taken place in the south before voting starts on Sunday.
Correspondents expect an overwhelming “yes” vote, which would see the world’s newest country come into being.
The referendum is part of a 2005 deal that ended the two-decade north-south civil war.
In an interview with the Arabic news channel al-Jazeera, Mr Bashir said he understood why many southerners wanted independence, but he expressed concern at how the new nation would cope.
“The south suffers from many problems,” he said.
Sudan’s Historic VoteVoting: 9-15 JanuaryTo pass, 60% of those registered need to vote plus majority of ballotsVote a condition of 2005 deal to end two-decade north-south conflictMost northerners are Arabic-speaking MuslimsMost southerners Christian or follow traditional religionsOil-rich Abyei area to hold separate vote on whether to join north or southReferendum could divide Africa’s largest countryFinal result due 6 February or 14 February if there are appealsSouth would become continent’s newest nation on 9 July 2011New national anthem chosen, but not name
“It’s been at war since 1959. The south does not have the ability to provide for its citizens or create a state or authority.”
Mr Bashir said southerners living in the north would not be allowed dual citizenship, and floated the idea of the two nations joining in an EU-style bloc.
He also raised the issue of Abyei, an oil-rich region with disputed borders.
He warned that if southerners seized the region for themselves, it could lead to war.
Analysts say Mr Bashir is under intense pressure from northern politicians, who fear that secession of the south may lead to a further splintering of the country.
North and south Sudan have suffered decades of infighting in conflicts driven by religious and ethnic divides.
Southerners have long complained of mistreatment at the hands of the Khartoum government.
At an event on Friday, former South African President Thabo Mbeki – the African Union’s mediator on Sudan – said the vote marks the “true emancipation” of the people of the south.
“The work of freedom is just at its beginning. We are confident that the southern Sudanese people have the strength and spirit to succeed in that endeavour,” he told a large crowd in Juba, the south’s capital.
Southern Sudanese will have a week to cast their vote on the future of the region, one of the least developed areas in the world.
Sudan: A country divided
Geography Ethnic groups Infant mortality Water & sanitation Education Food insecurity Oil fields
Show regions
The great divide across Sudan is visible even from space, as this Nasa satellite image shows. The northern states are a blanket of desert, broken only by the fertile Nile corridor. Southern Sudan is covered by green swathes of grassland, swamps and tropical forest.
Sudan’s arid northern regions are home mainly to Arabic-speaking Muslims. But in Southern Sudan there is no dominant culture. The Dinkas and the Nuers are the largest of more than 200 ethnic groups, each with its own traditional beliefs and languages.
The health inequalities in Sudan are illustrated by infant mortality rates. In Southern Sudan, one in 10 children die before their first birthday. Whereas in the more developed northern states, such as Gezira and White Nile, half of those children would be expected to survive.
The gulf in water resources between north and south is stark. In Khartoum, River Nile, and Gezira states, two-thirds of people have access to piped drinking water and pit latrines. In the south, boreholes and unprotected wells are the main drinking sources. More than 80% of southerners have no toilet facilities whatsoever.
Throughout Sudan, access to primary school education is strongly linked to household earnings. In the poorest parts of the south, less than 1% of children finish primary school. Whereas in the wealthier north, up to 50% of children complete primary level education.
Conflict and poverty are the main causes of food insecurity in Sudan. The residents of war-affected Darfur and Southern Sudan are still greatly dependent on food aid. Far more than in northern states, which tend to be wealthier, more urbanised and less reliant on agriculture.
Sudan exports billions of dollars of oil per year. Southern states produce more than 80% of it, but receive only 50% of the revenue, exacerbating tensions with the north. The oil-rich border region of Abyei is to hold a separate vote on whether to join the north or the south.
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