Historic vote in Sudan

There is a lot I remember from my time in Sudan.

Red packed dirt, oppressive heat, simple, but delicious food, beautiful people and crazy car trips.

But what remains the most clear was the people’s drive to improve their situation.

Starting this Sunday and running for a week the people of Southern Sudan will have the opportunity to vote in a referendum that can alter their course, by allowing them to separate from the northern part of the country.

It is historic. Only five years ago, Sudan was a country torn apart by civil war then a comprehensive peace agreement was signed. It included several parts to ensure the peace would last. One was allowing the people of Southern Sudan to elect their own government. The Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) was elected in the spring of 2010. The other main component of the peace agreement was the referendum to decide if Southern Sudan would become its own country.

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The country, as it currently exists, is almost four times the size of Saskatchewan. It's located in East Africa, bordering Egypt in the north. The people in the north are mainly speak Arabic and Muslim, while the people in the south are black and Christian. Through the middle of the country are large oil reserves.

This is where the border is to fall.

The opportunities to return to conflict are many and the peace is fragile, but the Southern Sudanese are endlessly optimistic.

When I was in Juba and Kajo Keji, in the far south, in August, all I heard people talking about was the Jan. 9 vote. It is believed that every southerner will vote for independence.

I sincerely hope they receive it. The current president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, doesn’t represent people there well. He is wanted by the international community for genocide and it’s recently been said he’s making off with millions from the sales of his country’s oil reserves. It’s money that should have been given to the people, in particular the people of Southern Sudan.

I like to think I’m optimistic, but I struggle to believe this referendum will end peacefully. There are so many questions left. What will happen to the Southern Sudanese living in Khartoum, in the north, if separation is selected? Where exactly will the border separate the countries? Will the country revert back to war when the ballots are counted?

While speaking with a friend of mine who has family living across Southern Sudan, he says the same fears are there. But far, far outweighing the fear is the excitement.

People see this as the opportunity to create a real future for themselves. It will be a long struggle, though. If they become an independent nation, they will be one of the poorest states. There is little infrastructure with any permanence and virtually no health care.

And leading up to the referendum there are already acts of violence. At least nine people have died in attacks on Southern Sudanese troops.

For the people I know there and the millions more I don’t, I am keeping my fingers crossed that this marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of their lives. I would love to return one day and travel south from Juba on a road that doesn’t stop functioning in the rainy season; to see an entirely new child health centre, where patients don’t have to receive care on the floor because of a shortage of beds; where everyone can receive the education they want.

And where there can be new dreams for the future, that don’t just involve survival.

For an analysis on the upcoming referendum I recommend the blog by Texas in Africa, an academic blog about African politics, security, development, & advocacy.

ahill@panow.com