Sudanese Referendum Is Beginning Of New History: Bishop

The upcoming Southern Sudan referendum has been termed as the ‘beginning of a new history for the Sudan’.

The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Rumbek Caesar Mazzolari explained to Gurtong that the three stages of the referendum include the actual voting, announcement of results and the post-referendum.

Bishop Mazzolari called for peace as South Sudanese mark the crucial political stage.

“I urge everyone to be peaceful during the vote and to vote out of their conscience for the greater good of the country before God”, he said.

The bishop urged both separatists and unionists to accept the outcome of the vote, especially those who will feel aggrieved.

He also described the post-referendum period as the most crucial, adding that development should take priority once the process is completed.

Observers

Meanwhile, a two-day training workshop for domestic observers from all the eight counties of Lakes State kicked off on Tuesday in Rumbek.

The training has been organised by the Sudan Domestic Election Monitoring and Evaluation Program (SUDEMOP).

The SUDEMOP State coordinator Manyiel Wugol Manyiel said the observers undergoing training will help in ensuring that the outcome of the referendum is credible.

Manyiel further stated that the local observers will have the role of tracking incidences of conflict during the referendum, including intimidation and harassment.

He urged the domestic observers to maintain professionalism during the referendum.

Lakes State has a total of 300,444 registered voters spread over 214 polling centres.