UN And SPLM On Citizenship

8 November 2010 – (Khartoum) – The UN has recommended that conditions for acquiring citizenship for people from both southern and northern Sudan living on either side after the referendum should be simple and non discriminatory.

The UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Madam Erika Feller addressed a press conference in Khartoum on Sunday evening.

[Erika Feller]: “The northerners living in the south and the southerners who live in the north will be very directly impacted groups. They are not the only groups who will be impacted, but they are clearly impacted groups. And then when it comes to citizenship issue, the sorts of criteria which determine what might be their eventual nationality not only the fact that they come from a particular ethnic group, but that they have links of one sort or another which closely relates them to a particular part of the country: so habitual residence, birth, marriage are links which have been discussed and which we would hope would be very much reflected when decisions are to be taken for example if you are a northerner living in the south or if you are southerner living in the north. Non-discriminatory citizenship rules will be very important.”

Madam Feller added that it is the responsibility of both the federal government and GOSS to provide security for the people of Sudan before and after the referendum.

[Erika Feller]: “As to security of peoples in this interim period, we believe it is the responsibility of both governments: government in the south and government in the north to make sure that people who are enjoying stay under their jurisdiction on their territory benefit from proper security, security of persons. There are of course rights as a whole of international standards that relate to international human rights standards. But I believe also at the level of national law, there are provisions in place which require governments to protect persons on their territory, to protect citizens on their territory, and we are talking citizens of this country.”

Madam Feller spoke at the close of a two-day-symposium on citizenship issues jointly organized by the UNHCR and the United Nations Mission in Sudan.

Speaking at the same symposium, the federal Minister of Cabinet Affairs and SPLM prominent member Dr. Luka Biong Deng suggested that southern Sudanese in the north and northern Sudanese in the south should be allocated time to decide where they will belong once the south secedes in the coming referendum.

[Dr. Luka Biong Deng]: “What would happen to the person who decided because of difficulties he would like to go back to southern Sudan, a southern Sudanese in northern Sudan and would like to go to the south? The same thing for northern Sudanese in southern Sudan deciding not to go and he decides to stay in the south? If the people of southern Sudan decide to secede, we are saying give the people a chance to choose an option whether he would like to be a northern Sudanese if they are in the south or southern Sudanese who are here. Give them the choice whether they would like to be northern Sudanese or they would like to be southerners. Give them a period of time.”

He also suggested that international experiences and practices be taken into consideration for the issue of citizenship to be resolved.

The question of citizenship is one of the thorny issues to be resolved by the two partners to the CPA, the NCP and SPLM.