trouble in Sudan ...
"At least 23 people have died in clashes between tribespeople and Arab nomads near Sudan's north-south border, leaders in a contested region said on Monday, on the second day of a week-long referendum on southern independence.
Analysts cite the central region of Abyei as the most likely place for north-south tensions to erupt into violence during and after the vote, the climax of a troubled peace deal that ended decades of civil war.
U.S. President Barack Obama Saturday warned both northern and southern leaders not to use proxy forces over the voting period, highlighting international concerns that both sides might be resorting to tactics used in past campaigns.
Southerners are expected to vote to split from the mostly Muslim north, depriving Khartoum of most of its oil reserves...."
Posted by G, Z, or B at 9:23 AM
The West: "Things are surprisingly going well in Sudan ..."
"..."Things are going, surprisingly, in a positive direction. There is an expectation that the transition to a new state won't be as difficult as was imagined," a Western official based in Southern Sudan said in a phone interview on the condition of anonymity.
Sudanese President Omar Bashir, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes for atrocities in the western province of Darfur, is facing growing criticism from northerners who blame him for the likely loss of the south.
Legally, Southern Sudan cannot make a declaration of independence until July. Post-referendum issues, including border demarcation, oil revenue-sharing, currency and citizenship, are to be settled after the vote.
Western officials and analysts say the biggest flash point is the oil-rich province of Abyei. Under the CPA, a second referendum to decide whether Abyei would go with the south if it secedes also was to be held this week. ..."
10/01/2011 South Sudan’s landmark secession referendum resumes for the second day as huge queues formed at polling stations from early morning Monday in the southern city of Juba.
On Sunday, the first day of the seven days voting passed off largely peacefully but more clashes in the disputed border region of Abyei left at least six dead.
One polling station in Rumbek recorded more than 600 voters on the first day alone, a quarter of its electoral register.
That already puts it well on the way to reaching the 60 percent turnout threshold across the south set by the 2005 peace agr0065ement between the rebels and the Khartoum government for the independence referendum to be valid.
Many had walked or cycled for hours or even days. After the long years of devastating conflict, south Sudan has just 40 kilometers of tarmac road, most of that in and around Juba.
Lakes state authorities acknowledged that some voters were having to make the long journey from their remote home villages for a second day after being disappointed on Sunday when the huge crowds forced polling station staff to turn some voters away.
"The voting process has been peaceful with no malpractice reported to me," said state governor Chol Tong Mayay.
"The only complaints were from those who left disappointed after waiting so long in the sun but who did not get to vote because the time ran out," he said.
"Many had to walk three or four hours each way to reach a center but they can vote today or in the following days."
INTERNATIONAL PRAISE
The referendum on the first day won international praise, as United States, Britain and Norway hailed the start on Sunday applauding the vote's organizers as well as northern and southern leaders.
The United States, Britain and Norway hailed the start on Sunday of a week-long referendum on south Sudan's independence, applauding the vote's organizers as well as northern and southern leaders.
US President Barack Obama congratulated the people of southern Sudan on the smooth start of voting and said that Washington is "fully committed" to helping the new African state after the referendum.
"I am extremely pleased that polling has started for the Southern Sudan Referendum, and congratulate the people of Southern Sudan who are determining their own destiny," Obama said in a statement, calling the vote "an historic step."
"The United States will remain fully committed to helping the parties solve critical post-referendum issues regardless of the outcome of the vote," he said.
Top diplomats from the three countries described the start of voting as "a historic step towards completion of Sudan's comprehensive peace agreement," Hillary Clinton, William Hague and Jonas Gahr Store said in a joint statement, referring to the 2005 peace treaty that ended a devastating 22-year civil war.
But they highlighted their "deep concerns" about the situation in Abyei, a flashpoint region on the north-south border where two tribes clashed on Sunday, killing at least nine people.
"We commend the people of Abyei for their patience in recent months... and we emphasize again to both parties their responsibilities to urgently resolve the impasse," the Western diplomats said.
They also welcomed Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir as saying: "President Bashir has made clear that his government will respect the outcome of the referendum. We welcome this commitment.”
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
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