On 9 January, the people of Sudan, the largest African country, has voted for a referendum of the most important in the history of the continent: the southern region of the country should become independent? We want to or not to secede? After the end of voting showed that in 10 polling stations in Juba, the capital of southern Sudan, about 96% of the nearly 30,000 voters had voted yes, even worse, 60% because the final decision.
Some 3% of the votes had instead for unity and the rest of the votes were invalid. This was just a sample of the 3.2 million voters. The end result will be announced next month, but the projections say that it is very likely that on July 9 will see the birth of the continent a new nation.
The name likely? The simplest, Republic of Southern Sudan, but other names have been proposed, such as the charming Juwama, acronym of the three major cities of Juba, Wau and Malakal. Felice partial results Save Kir Mayardit, president of the autonomous region of South Sudan and vice president of the nation, a man famous for his aplomb, that the Mass last Sunday smiled and clapped during the musical part of the celebration.
Then he thanked God for the peaceful and vote for the result. Felice also the UN Secretary General Bank Ki-moon, who praised the people for the peaceful behavior, patience and determination that characterized the peaceful vote last week. " The African Union has confirmed its support to the country, regardless of the results of the referendum, which is the most important act between the clauses of the peace agreement in Nairobi in 2005 between the government and southern rebels.
Ends a 22-year civil war, which saw more than two million deaths, caused primarily by the inability of politicians to manage the country, divided by religion and ethnicity: the Northern Sudan, inhabited by 22 million Arab Muslims, and the autonomous region in the south, inhabited by about 6 million African Christians.
But responsibility is not theirs alone. The diversity and division have long roots: the colonization, the process of decolonization el'islamizzazione. At the end of 1800 Britain and Egypt have divided the region. They split in two, the Arab region and the Muslim north and Christian south, with the requirement of passports between the two provinces, special permits for businesses and administration completely separate.
It was the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, ruled by a governor appointed by Egypt with British consent. The British were committed to building infrastructure only in the north, until in 1943 they began to prepare for self-government of Sudan. As has happened in almost all areas of Asia and Africa who have seen the colonial regime, with the exception of India who had spent decades preparing for independence from the British Raj, the colonial powers were not well looked after assign key posts in politics and state bureaucracy to the indigenous population, with the result that the decolonization has seen almost everywhere a ruling class unable to take the place of that of the colonizers.
In 1953 Britain decided to recognize the Sudan the right to self-determination. When independence was proclaimed in 1956, for a year is the first civil war broke out between north and south. Since then, governments have ruled the military who have always preferred the northern region. The war lasted until 1972.
Between 1966 and 1969, governments are unable to agree on a permanent constitution. I'm not even able to tackle the problems of the struggle between factions, economic stagnation and ethnic dissidence. Politics is dominated by the Arabs, who consider the whole Sudan as an Arab Muslim. The 1969 sees the coup by Colonel Gaafar Nimeiry, president until 1985, and new bloody infighting, with an interval of ten years of peace.
They overlook the interests of foreign powers: notably the Soviet Union, China and the mid-seventies, Egypt, supplying the country of weapons. In 1983, there is a well known phenomenon in all countries colonized: the Islamization of state and administrative imposition of Shari'a. Until the Civil War, which saw more than 4 million displaced southern Sudanese and expatriates.
A real humanitarian tragedy. In 2003 the revolt broke out in the western region, Darfur. In 2005 the war with neighboring Chad. In the same year, however, are initialed a peace agreement in Nairobi, which stipulate that the Arab Muslim north and the south remains a Christian. After six years the country would decide how to govern themselves through a referendum that was held a few days ago.
But the key to the balance of regional resources. In fact, the Sudan, like Nigeria, is rich in oil and natural gas. The majority party in the south, which is rural and still lacks infrastructure for processing. That are in the north. And then there's the issue of Abyei, an area of about 10,000 km2 in the center-south of the country has always been considered a bridge between north and south but, fertile and rich in oil, is claimed by both sides.
The real problem to solve if it is declared the independence of the Republic of Southern Sudan will be: how resources will be divided? And who will manage? Africa is seen to converge the interests of the emerging powers, particularly India, Brazil and South Africa in Angola and Mozambique.
China plays an important role in Nigeria and Sudan. The old leadership and the future of the Republic of Southern Sudan will be able to reach an agreement to build relationships that are able to overcome the age-old ethnic differences and economic inequalities and cultural rights, in order to make better use of resources for internal development? This will be the challenge of the new government to use all the facilities and infrastructure in the north and south of the oil and gas to eradicate widespread poverty and advance the rural and illiterate population of the south, and enforce a peace agreement for the Darfur in February of 2010 to restore dignity and rights to over five million people affected by the terrible conflict.
Enrica Garzilli 
Some 3% of the votes had instead for unity and the rest of the votes were invalid. This was just a sample of the 3.2 million voters. The end result will be announced next month, but the projections say that it is very likely that on July 9 will see the birth of the continent a new nation.
The name likely? The simplest, Republic of Southern Sudan, but other names have been proposed, such as the charming Juwama, acronym of the three major cities of Juba, Wau and Malakal. Felice partial results Save Kir Mayardit, president of the autonomous region of South Sudan and vice president of the nation, a man famous for his aplomb, that the Mass last Sunday smiled and clapped during the musical part of the celebration.
Then he thanked God for the peaceful and vote for the result. Felice also the UN Secretary General Bank Ki-moon, who praised the people for the peaceful behavior, patience and determination that characterized the peaceful vote last week. " The African Union has confirmed its support to the country, regardless of the results of the referendum, which is the most important act between the clauses of the peace agreement in Nairobi in 2005 between the government and southern rebels.
Ends a 22-year civil war, which saw more than two million deaths, caused primarily by the inability of politicians to manage the country, divided by religion and ethnicity: the Northern Sudan, inhabited by 22 million Arab Muslims, and the autonomous region in the south, inhabited by about 6 million African Christians.
But responsibility is not theirs alone. The diversity and division have long roots: the colonization, the process of decolonization el'islamizzazione. At the end of 1800 Britain and Egypt have divided the region. They split in two, the Arab region and the Muslim north and Christian south, with the requirement of passports between the two provinces, special permits for businesses and administration completely separate.
It was the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, ruled by a governor appointed by Egypt with British consent. The British were committed to building infrastructure only in the north, until in 1943 they began to prepare for self-government of Sudan. As has happened in almost all areas of Asia and Africa who have seen the colonial regime, with the exception of India who had spent decades preparing for independence from the British Raj, the colonial powers were not well looked after assign key posts in politics and state bureaucracy to the indigenous population, with the result that the decolonization has seen almost everywhere a ruling class unable to take the place of that of the colonizers.
In 1953 Britain decided to recognize the Sudan the right to self-determination. When independence was proclaimed in 1956, for a year is the first civil war broke out between north and south. Since then, governments have ruled the military who have always preferred the northern region. The war lasted until 1972.
Between 1966 and 1969, governments are unable to agree on a permanent constitution. I'm not even able to tackle the problems of the struggle between factions, economic stagnation and ethnic dissidence. Politics is dominated by the Arabs, who consider the whole Sudan as an Arab Muslim. The 1969 sees the coup by Colonel Gaafar Nimeiry, president until 1985, and new bloody infighting, with an interval of ten years of peace.
They overlook the interests of foreign powers: notably the Soviet Union, China and the mid-seventies, Egypt, supplying the country of weapons. In 1983, there is a well known phenomenon in all countries colonized: the Islamization of state and administrative imposition of Shari'a. Until the Civil War, which saw more than 4 million displaced southern Sudanese and expatriates.
A real humanitarian tragedy. In 2003 the revolt broke out in the western region, Darfur. In 2005 the war with neighboring Chad. In the same year, however, are initialed a peace agreement in Nairobi, which stipulate that the Arab Muslim north and the south remains a Christian. After six years the country would decide how to govern themselves through a referendum that was held a few days ago.
But the key to the balance of regional resources. In fact, the Sudan, like Nigeria, is rich in oil and natural gas. The majority party in the south, which is rural and still lacks infrastructure for processing. That are in the north. And then there's the issue of Abyei, an area of about 10,000 km2 in the center-south of the country has always been considered a bridge between north and south but, fertile and rich in oil, is claimed by both sides.
The real problem to solve if it is declared the independence of the Republic of Southern Sudan will be: how resources will be divided? And who will manage? Africa is seen to converge the interests of the emerging powers, particularly India, Brazil and South Africa in Angola and Mozambique.
China plays an important role in Nigeria and Sudan. The old leadership and the future of the Republic of Southern Sudan will be able to reach an agreement to build relationships that are able to overcome the age-old ethnic differences and economic inequalities and cultural rights, in order to make better use of resources for internal development? This will be the challenge of the new government to use all the facilities and infrastructure in the north and south of the oil and gas to eradicate widespread poverty and advance the rural and illiterate population of the south, and enforce a peace agreement for the Darfur in February of 2010 to restore dignity and rights to over five million people affected by the terrible conflict.
Enrica Garzilli
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