Many in southern Sudan and neighboring countries are trying to refrain from a premature celebration after early reports from a weeklong referendum on independence that began Jan. 9 indicated an overwhelming majority voted to separate from the north.
“I am so happy I have now voted; you can see the ink on my finger,” said Thomas Maingi, a Sudanese Christian. “I want to go back to my country. I believe God will bless our new country.”
In addition to those living in southern Sudan, thousands of Sudanese refugees — like Maingi — who have found shelter in neighboring countries, were given the opportunity to vote in the referendum. There were eight voting locations in Kenya alone.
Although the official results will not be announced until sometime in February, if passed, then the referendum will officially designate southern Sudan as a new nation. Sudan has been ravaged by years of civil war between the heavily Islamic, Arab-dominated north and the predominantly Christian and animist south. The conflict has driven many southern Sudanese to flee to neighboring countries.
The referendum, however, brings hope to refugees for a return to an independent homeland.
“This is a great day for Sudan and for Africa,” Sudanese voter Michael Muzusa said. “I have been in Kenya for 16 years.”
He said he was going back to his country when the voting was over.
Muzusa’s sentiments were shared by many of the Sudanese voters in Nairobi. Some, like Jane Wanjiku, believe their move to Kenya was orchestrated by God.
“From the very beginning of the struggle, I feel that God has had a plan for us,” Wanjiku said. “I think He sent me to Kenya so I could prepare myself for going back to Sudan.”
Even though there are reports that some were killed in clashes along the northern and southern border of Sudan during the week of the referendum, many, including members of the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council and the African Union, are calling the election, which surpassed the 60 percent threshold needed to validate the vote, an overall success.
“We are praying that we may celebrate without violence; whether we separate or unite, we shall give it to God,” Sudanese Christian David Wambui said.
“Of course, I am afraid of violence, because enough is enough. We have lost too many lives and souls to violence.”
Raymond Lyrene, a member of Dawson Memorial Baptist Church, Birmingham, along with wife Allyson, has been going to a village in southern Sudan with a team from his church since 2003.
“We are really excited about a separate nation possibly coming about,” Lyrene said. “If it doesn’t come about, it is very likely that the two parts will go back into civil war. … So we are anxiously awaiting the results of the election.”
Northern and southern Sudan have been at odds since 1955, when civil war erupted as the region gained independence from the United Kingdom and Egypt. It is estimated that during the civil war, more than 2 million southerners died and more than 4 million were displaced.
According to the U.S. Department of State, this created “the world’s largest population of internally displaced people.” But since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 that ended the Sudanese civil war, the U.N. estimates that nearly 2 million of the 4 million displaced have returned home.
Although the civil war ended, violence did not. In 2003, violence broke out against non-Arab tribes in the Darfur region of Sudan. As a result, two groups representing those who had been attacked — farmers and non-Arabs — rebelled. The Sudanese government responded by providing funds to rival tribes that left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced. Even though the amount of the violence has ceased in Sudan, there are still small outbreaks of violence throughout the country between Arab and non-Arab peoples.
The civil war also resulted in widespread malnutrition and starvation, especially in the southern part of the country because of a lack of investment in the area. As a result, there is an ongoing humanitarian problem in this area.
For those who have remained in southern Sudan, life has focused on survival. Rather than attending school, boys are sent to cattle camps, where they defend their livelihood with spears and AK-47s in clashes with northern-supported militias.
Christians hope a new country will provide religious freedom and equality.
“We are praying to God for the secession of southern Sudan so that we can be black Africans in an independent land,” said Eric Karanja, another Sudanese believer living in Kenya. “We don’t want to be in the womb of Arabs. It is time for us to pray to God hard so that He can give back our land.”
Crude oil exports from Sudan generate millions of dollars for the country. Many observers cite oil as a factor in the referendum. Sudanese Christians, however, say they are more concerned with freedom to practice their faith — and freedom from the north’s harsh enforcement of Islamic law. According to BBC News Africa, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has announced he will implement a stricter version of Islam’s sacred law, Shariah, in the north if the south secedes.
If the referendum passes, then a new Southern Sudan is expected to be established by July. But much work lies ahead to overcome the effects civil war has had on the region, including poverty and poor infrastructure.
“When we are beginning our new country, the first thing we need to do is build schools and put up churches,” said David Mwolo, another Sudanese Christian. “People should have freedom and this is how we want to begin our new country.”
The referendum is the final benchmark of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Names have been changed for security reasons. (BP, TAB)
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