Archives for January 2011

Juba, Sudan—As voting continues in this week’s referendum, which is expected to pass, people here in the south are eagerly awaiting the formal announcement that their homeland, finally, will be a free nation. But, just before the vote began, Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir angered southerners when he said, “The south does not have the […]

Bentiu, Sudan—In the center of this southern town, in a dusty public square with just a few trees for precious shade, 19 busloads of people arrived from Khartoum on Sunday, the first day of voting in this week’s historic referendum for independence. They were just a fraction of the 36,800 “returnees” that officials estimate have […]

Bentiu, Sudan—Nyakuoth Jon arrived at a local polling station at 3 a.m. on Sunday, when voting began in southern Sudan’s self-determination referendum. Even at that early hour, she found many people already crowded in line. Jon, the mother of nine children, sat on the ground outside the station (which, any other day, serves as a […]

Bentiu, Sudan—Two days ago, President Omar Al Bashir made what is likely to be his last visit to Juba, the southern capital, as the head of a unified Sudan. Promising to be “the first to recognize the south” if southerners vote for independence in this weekend’s referendum, Al Bashir’s conciliatory tone left people here scratching […]