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There are historical roots linking north and south  Sudan. The Nile River ties the parties  together for better or for worse. Music and food are shared by the two people. Commonalities created a union government for all Sudanese in the north and south. Some say that the commonalities  far outreach constitutional differences  and if these are not respected in future the fault will be laid at the door of politicians, not the people.

Some 1800 journalists, representing some 50 media houses attended the Referendum held in Southern Sudan 9-15 January 2011.  Such an influx of media people had not been seen in Southern Sudan before. Consequently the conspiracy is broken. For a long time what went on in South Sudan was hushed up The same applies to the Afro-Arab Borderlands in general stretching from Mauritania on the Atlantic to Sudan on the Red Sea. For instance the protracted war in the Sahel  involving the Touareg in Niger Mali and Tchad, was not reported in the international press. South Sudan?s emergence as a sovereign state as a result of protracted war with Khartoum, reveals to the world the cause of ?Africa?s longest war?, which are the  Arabisation and Islamisation Project of Arabia in Africa.

The international media in Southern  Sudan had ample opportunity to mingle with the people and learn first hand about the atrocities committed against civilians by Khartoum and to see for themselves the arrested development  of Southern Sudan. When the Sudan People?s Liberation Army (SPLA) entered Juba after the signing of the CPA in 2005 there were approximately 15 cars in the town, with no street lighting  and no running water.

The vote  for unity or separation in Southern Sudan last week met with much enthusiasm. Most had never believed that peace would hold long enough for the Referendum to take place.

Families in the South over generations had given of  their offspring to fight the war. This was a matter of honour. The Referendum opens up a possibility that the youth of today and their children may live in peace for the rest of their lives.  Since  1821 the South has been  fighting  for liberty and justice. Southern Sudanese are a peaceful people who want to live in peace with their neighbours. Over 2.5 millions lost their  lives in the wars in the South.

In 2006 when your author arrived in Juba he was advised ?not to let Khartoum know your price? and that once that happened Khartoum loses all respect.  This type of counsel has often been ignored. The conundrum of the future of Sudan revolves around  the inability of Africa South of the Sahara to confront the issue of Arabisation and Islamisation in Africa. Will we continue to profit on the backs of the sacrifices of our kith and kin in the Afro-Arab Borderlands?  Comparisons can be made with those Africans who sold their people into slavery. Will such askaris continue to receive comfort amongst us ?

So long as such mercenary and murderous  behaviour  continues there will be no peace in Darfur, not withstanding the work of the African Union (AU) High level Group. Indeed the AU  took over 50 years to acknowledge that bringing peace to Sudan is the task of Africans, not Arabs.

Despite the smooth referendum process, which showed the world what the Southern Sudanese are capable of, after the wide dissemination of the image of Southerners as wild ethnic fighters, there were incidents of violence in Abyei and Southern Kordofan.  These were not allowed to interfere with the voting process.

Despite the global attention given to oil-rich Abyei and the playing up of ethnic divisions in Abyei, no referendum was conducted there, ensuring Abyei will remain a bone of contention between Khartoum and Juba, despite provisions in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)  for  a referendum to take place not only in Abyei but also in the Nuba Mountains and in Blue Nile. These three regions of Sudan lie between  North and South Sudan. During the long years of war they sided with the Southern Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM). The fact that no referendum has been held in these three territories  raises the possibility of acrimony. Discussions are underway to hold referendae in the three territories soonest.

The leadership qualities of H.E Salva Kiir have now to be acknowledged. In the past six  years he steered the ship of state through troubled waters. Some grew  impatient with what was perceived as his inability to make swift decisions. Many have come to appreciate his patience and stamina in the face of great provocation. Those whose task is to moderate, should know that Sudan is a product of decolonisation. They should heed the words of the South, rather than imposing their own will. South Sudan is an issue of ?liberation?. Liberation does not permit an approach of ?business as usual?. Money making, especially with Arabs, does not facilitate  arbitration, rather it confuses issues.
The liberation of South Sudan opens up the prospects  of a new chapter in Sudan affairs and the transformation of a war zone into an area of peace. However so long as war continues in Darfur, Southern Sudan and Sudan in general are endangered. Even after ?independence? Khartoum has the capacity  to cut oil revenues to  the south.  So long as the piping of oil is done thought the Sudan Red Sea port ?Port Sudan, rather than through Kenya and Uganda, the possibility of economic development for South Sudan will remain precarious.

The calendar going forward is as follows :-
14 February 2011 final Referendum results are available
Thereafter the SPLM to prepare the draft Interim Constitution to take effect on 9 July 2011

All outstanding CPA issues ( eg border demarcation, revenue sharing, nationality etc etc )to be resolved before 9 July 2011 when the six year CPA interim period expires
After the declaration of Independence elections will take place in Southern Sudan, including Presidential elections.
On the 9 July 2011 The President of Southern Sudan will take the Oath of office of the Interim Government of the Republic on South Sudan

The events unfolding in the Afro-Arab Borderlands, which in the case of Sudan are delineated as passing through Abyei, are of a magnitude similar to the ending of Apartheid in Southern Africa. These developments represent a strategic shift, the turning of the corner, redefining the basis for relations within continental Africa.

B.F.Bankie, Juba,South Sudan, 16th January 2011
bankiebf@gmail.com
www.bankie.info