The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

The South Rises Again (in Sudan)

Posted on | January 9, 2011 | 4 Comments

A referendum begins, and voters in South Sudan are expected to approve their independence from Khartoum:

Joy marked the faces of South Sudanese citizens as they waited in long lines at polling stations throughout this dusty boomtown that, come July, is likely to be the world’s newest capital.
In Juba, many residents rose before dawn to get in line for their chance to vote in this historic referendum on whether semiautonomous South Sudan will secede from Sudan. Others stood in the baking sun for the chance to make the choice of a lifetime. After decades of struggle, emotions of relief, happiness, and excitement abounded among voters. . . .
“This is democracy at its most basic, where people are choosing their future, and how and by whom they want to be governed,” said former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in the country with former President Jimmy Carter’s election observation mission.
“It’s important that the enthusiasm, the energy, leads to solid results that are expected by everyone,” Mr. Annan said, while women in line to vote behind him ululated spontaneously – a sign of celebration which was a a common occurrence Sunday, the first day of polling.
A few minutes before Annan and Mr. Carter arrived, a southern man had led the hundreds of soon-to-be voters in chants of “hallelujah.”

If at first you don’t secede . . .

Category: Sudan

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