CAIRO: A group of Southern Sudanese chanted “No to unity, yes to separation” in front of a Maadi polling station on the first day of Sudan’s scheduled referendum.
Southern Sudanese danced and sang in front of the polling stations and called for a separation while rejecting the idea of unity. The stations were marked by a high voter turnout as voters lined up outside.
The referendum that is taking part in Juba, South Sudan’s capital, runs parallel in other African countries including Egypt. About 3,350 registered Southern Sudanese voters are set to vote in three different polling stations in Cairo amid high security for the next week.
“We all agree with this separation, it’s our right to have a country that respects us,” said Hanan Bashir.
“Those who want unity are those whose parents are Northern,” she added.
Hitler Emanuel, a student who, before moving to Egypt, had moved to Northern Sudan to get an education, said he faced discrimination in the North and wondered why non-Muslims should be ruled by sharia.
“The choice of separation is the people’s and not the SPLM [Sudan People’s Liberation Movement], we want our rights and we trust they will give them to us,” he added.
Southern voters believe that once Sudan is separated they will be able to return to their country.
“We will be treated the way respectful citizens are treated,” said one voter, Josephina.
"This is a historic day, we will finally decide for ourselves and stop the disaster that has lasted 50 years," said Otogo Lee, one of the voters.
A man waving the southern Sudanese flag encouraged the crowd with chants of "freedom."
Wanilokon Diana Wislin said she arrived early in the morning. "It’s a happy day, we’re all here for a new future. I will go home as soon as independence is declared," she said.
Experts believe that violence is expected to mount after the separation as many issues are left unresolved like disputes over oil regions, undrawn borders, people living in other regions and other problems including tribes disagreements over the partition. –Additional reporting by AFP.
