Referendum Not To Be Determined By The Completion Of Border Demarcation, SPLM Asserts

29 July 2010 - (Khartoum) – The SPLM has refuted a statement by an official of the National Congress Party that the referendum will not take place in January next year unless the north-south border is demarcated.

On Wednesday, the NCP Member of Parliament in the National Assembly, Mister Zubeir Al-Hassan told the Sudan Media Centre that the referendum will not take place on the 9th of January next year if the demarcation of the north-south border is not completed on time.

The Chairman of the SPLM Parliamentary Caucus in the National Assembly, Thomas Wani Kundu spoke to Sudan Radio Service in Khartoum by phone from the National Assembly on Thursday.

[Thomas Wani]: “On behalf of the SPLM Caucus in the National Legislature, I totally reject and denounce the statement made by Mister Zubeir Ahmed Al-Hassan regarding border demarcation. Who is behind all this delay, it is the NCP. if we go back to the implementation modalities, border demarcation was supposed even to be completed before the April’s elections, but NCP deliberately decided to delay it up to this moment. The border between the North and the South is known. But what Zubeir said to me is not the spirit of the partnership and we never expected a highly learned person like Zubeir to make this statement giving in the condition. Generally he cannot convince the Southerners neither will this statement convince the regional countries, even the international community will not accept that. That is the mistake of the NCP. The NCP is responsible for the delay of border demarcation up to this moment. They should not throw the ball to us, but the ball is at their goal, it is they to be held responsible for any delay.”

Honorable Wani also said that an aggressive pro-unity media campaign in northern Sudan will only make southern Sudanese choose separation instead of unity.