January 9, 2011
BBC News

Southern Sudan Votes on Independence

Huge numbers of people are voting in Southern Sudan in a landmark referendum on independence from the north.

The week-long vote is widely expected to result in Africa's largest country being split in two.

Amid scenes of jubilation, south Sudanese leader Salva Kiir said: "This is an historic moment the people of Southern Sudan have been waiting for."

The poll was agreed as part of the 2005 peace deal which ended the two-decade north-south civil war.

The leaders of the mainly Muslim north have promised to allow the potential new country, where most people are Christian or follow traditional religions, to secede peacefully. . . .

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The World Factbook: Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum), indigenous beliefs 25%

"Sacrificing Africans, Muslims To Bring Nile Water To Israel," The Wisdom Fund, March 22, 1996

"'Death in the Air,' Sudan and Chemical Warfare," ESPAC, August 2, 2001

"Imposed Free Market Democracy," The Wisdom Fund, February 28, 2004

"The New Scramble For Africa," The Wisdom Fund, June 1, 2005

"U.S. Investor Buys Sudanese Warlord's Land, Expects Breakup of Sudan, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Somalia," The Wisdom Fund, January 9, 2009

"U.S. Pushes for Secession of Sudan's Oil-rich Southern Region," The Wisdom Fund, November 11, 2010

Daniel Howden, "A failed state before it's born? Inside the capital of the world's next nation," Independent, January 7, 2011

[Zionists realized that minorities in the Arab world represent a natural ally to their state of Israel and so they planned to build bridges with them. Zionist representatives communicated with the Kurds in Iraq, the people in southern Sudan, the Maronites in Lebanon, Kurds in Syria, and the Copts in Egypt; Zionism adopted the principle of divide and conquer, and saw that the most effective way to fragment the Arab world was to create secessionist movements within it.--Fahmi Howeidi, "Israelis can tell the whole story of Sudan's division - they wrote the script and trained the actors," Al-Khaleej Times, January 14, 2011]

"South Sudan referendum: 99% vote for independence," BBC News, January 30, 2011

Katrina Manson, "Bashir accepts Sudan secession vote," ft.com, February 7, 2011

Philip Mabior, "UN: 800 killed in Southern Sudan so far this year," Associated Press, April 13, 2011

[Welcome to the Nuba Mountains, Sudan's little-known crucible of roaming militias, oil fields and a bloody history that many fear could soon be repeated.--Alan Boswell, "Vote in tense central Sudan could shape fates of 2 nations," McClatchy Newspapers, April 29, 2011]

Alan Boswell, "Violence is rising as date for Sudan's partition draws near," McClatchy Newspapers, June 10, 2011

[The new country is rich in oil, . . .

The two sides must still decide on issues such as drawing up the new border and how to divide Sudan's debts and oil wealth.

Analysts say the priority for Khartoum will be to negotiate a favourable deal on oil revenue, as most oilfields lie in the south. At present, the revenues are being shared equally.

Khartoum has some leverage, as most of the oil pipelines flow north to Port Sudan on the Red Sea.--Will Ross, "South Sudan becomes an independent nation," BBC News, July 8, 2011]

[The U.S. government hasn't lifted sanctions imposed on Sudan as a state sponsor of terrorism, one of the promises that allowed both the Bush and Obama administrations to broker and then shepherd the peace agreement that led to South Sudan's independence.--Alan Boswell, "Ending civil war hasn't worked out like Sudan had hoped," McClatchy Newspapers, July 28, 2011]

Andrew Higgins, "Oil interests push China into Sudanese mire," washingtonpost.com, December 24, 2011

[A broad group of U.S. activists who forged close ties with the South Sudanese rebel movement spurred that deal to end Sudan's decades-long civil war. They included churches from then-President George W. Bush's hometown of Midland, Texas, the Congressional Black Caucus and celebrities such as actor George Clooney.

The violence, and the role of the South Sudanese military in it, points out the difficulty of a legacy in which the U.S. and influential activists remain supporters of a government that often lies at the heart of the problem. Even with its poor human rights record, South Sudan continues to be the darling of its committed backers.--Alan Boswell, "In South Sudan's violence, U.S.-backed army part of the problem," mcclatchydc.com, March 13, 2012]

Nesrine Malik, "George Clooney isn't helping Sudan," Guardian, March 19, 2012

[In a CFR moderated discussion George Clooney discussed the plight of the Sudanese in the Nuba Mountains who are caught up in the country's civil war. Not surprising the area includes a proposed pipeline route that will carry oil to a seaport in the north.--John Vincent, "Amnesty International, George Clooney and the Bidding of Empire," counterpunch.org, March 21, 2012]

[South Sudan seized the Heglig oilfield near the border on Tuesday, prompting widespread condemnation. The African Union denounced the occupation as illegal and urged the two sides to avert a "disastrous" war.--Ulf Laessing and Alexander Dziadosz, "Sudan and South fight over oil-rich border region," Reuters, April 14, 2012]

[The international community has condemned the fighting and has called on South Sudan to withdraw. But its leader, Salva Kiir, has publicly refused to do so.--Alan Boswell, "Amid a trail of corpses, little doubt that Sudan, South Sudan are now at war," mcclatchydc.com, April 16, 2012]

"South Sudan 'to withdraw troops' from Heglig oil field," BBC News, April 20, 2012

Armin Rosen, "South Sudan, world's youngest nation, develops unlikely friendship with 'role model' Israel," timesofisrael.com, May 18, 2012

"South Sudan signs oil deals with Israeli companies: Petroleum minister," PressTV, January 21, 2013

Simon Tisdall, "South Sudan president sacks cabinet in power struggle," guardian.co.uk, July 24, 2013

Sudarsan Raghavan, "South Sudan's growing conflict reflects rivalry between president and his former deputy," washingtonpost.com, December 22, 2013

Peter Van Buren, "Any More U.S. 'Stabilization' and Africa Will Collapse," firedoglake.com, December 23, 2013