CLASSROOM READY MONTHLY NEWS • FEBRUARY 2011 Level 2
Sudan Poised for
Historic Vote
Get ready to update your
atlases—the map of Africa
is about to change.
This January, the largest
country in Africa, Sudan, held a
historic referendum. The citizens
of southern Sudan are voting
on whether to remain a part of
Sudan, or separate and form
a new, independent country.
U.S. President Barack Obama
hailed the vote as a “new chapter
in history.” He called it an opportunity
for a peaceful solution to a
confl ict that has resulted in “50
years of civil wars that have killed
two million people and turned
millions more into refugees.
The vote was agreed to as
part of a peace deal that ended
Sudan’s most recent civil war
back in 2005. The country has
had a long history of confl ict
between the mostly Muslim
Arabs living in the north, and the
mostly Christian or animist
peoples in the south. The south
Sudanese have faced decades
of deep poverty, and many have
complained of mistreatment by
the government, based out of the
capital of Khartoum in the north.
Although he hopes that Sudan
remains a united country, Sudanese
president Omar al-Bashir said
he would honour the outcome if
the people vote for separation.
“We are a civilized people,” he
said. “Regardless of how painful
the results are, we will greet
the result with forgiveness, and
patience, and acceptance, and
an open heart, God willing.”
Although the vote began on
January 9, it will take until February
14 before the results are announced.
That is because the vote
was held over a one-week period,
and after that it will take another
four weeks to collect all the ballots
and count them. The extra time is
necessary because south Sudan is
a large region with very few roads.
For the referendum to be valid,
at least 60 percent of the 3.8 million
registered voters in the south
must participate. Most observers
believe that the south Sudanese
will vote for separation. If that is
the result, more work will have to
be done. That is because then both
sides will have to decide how they
will share oil revenues, where the
new borders will lie, and whether
people will be allowed to have
citizenship in both countries. As
well, it is expected that as many
as 2.5 million people will fl ood
across the border so that they can
rejoin families and be a part of
the country of their choosing.
Did you know?ID YOU KNOW?
Did you know?ID YOU KNOW?
Canada has sent more than
400 peacekeepers to Sudan since
the civil war ended in 2005.Saskatchewan Edition
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