Voting In Southern Sudan Referendum Continues Amidst Violence In Disputed Border Region

As the second day of voting in Southern Sudan’s independence referendum comes to an end, clashes between Southern Sudanese security forces and tribes near Abyei have claimed more than 30 lives, say local officials. The status of Abyei within Sudan continues to be one of the more contentious issue between Khartoum and the South, as both sides have refused concede the area because of its strategic location near the border, significant oil reserves, cattle grazing ground and easy access to water.

Meanwhile, the South Sudan Referendum Commission(SSRC) says that over 750 000 of the 3.7 million people registered to vote in the South were able to cast their ballots on Sunday. There are about another 100 000 Southerners living in the North registered to vote and over 50 000 living outside the country. Over the weekend, thousands of Southern Sudanese living in the United States cast their votes at polling stations in Nebraska, Texas, Arizona, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Washington DC.  Government of Southern Sudan officials to the US mission estimate that about 1500 Southern Sudanese voted at the Washington DC pre-polling station alone.