Juba (AFP) – Counting began Wednesday in an unofficial referendum in the flashpoint Abyei region to decide if it lies in Sudan or South Sudan, observers said, amid African Union warnings the poll is a “threat to peace”. The fate of Abyei is one of the most important and sensitive issues left unresolved since South Sudan became an independent state in 2011, ending two decades of civil war in Sudan. ”The laborious process of counting the number of ballots cast has begun,” said Tim Flatman, an independent observer in the disputed district, calling the counting a “slow but very transparent process”. The majority of 65,000 registered voters are believed to have cast their ballots in the three-day long poll which closed Tuesday evening. Results were expected later Wednesday or Thursday. AU chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has said the vote was illegal and its organisers were risking sparking a return to war between civil war foes in Juba and Khartoum.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 22:30:19 +0000
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