Risky Business: Sudan’s Referendum for Independence

Morgan Lorraine Roach / January 05, 2011

In the months leading up to the referendum in southern Sudan, scheduled for January 9, the United States and its international partners have been scrambling to prepare for the challenges a divided Sudan might bring.

The referendum, born from the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), presents an opportunity for the south to achieve independence following years of brutal repression and violence perpetrated by the government in Khartoum headlined by a decades-long civil war. The Obama Administration has expressed cautious optimism in the lead-up to the referendum. “We believe that the right signals are being sent, both in North and South, in terms of the upcoming referendum and respecting the results,” said State Department spokesman P. J. Crowley. He added, however, that there is “a difficult road ahead” to resolve the outstanding differences between the two sides.

However, the numerous setbacks leading up to and following the referendum could spell chaos for Africa’s largest country. (more…)