Word: south
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...prepared to lie and say anything." The International Crisis Group's Sudan specialist Fouad Hikmat concurs: "Some people in the NCP say, 'There will be no referendum - instead we will burn this house.' And they can do it." One reason for the north to plan secretly to stop the south breaking away could be an understandable desire to avoid follow-on Balkanization. South Kordofan and Blue Nile state, in particular, are a concern: both previously fought with the south but will likely end up on the northern side of the border...
...There's also the question of economic viability. Most of the oil is in the south, hence Deng's offer to share oil revenue. "People think I'm selling out," he says. "I'm trying to prevent a [northern] collapse that would affect not just us but Egypt, Chad, Libya and Ethiopia." (See pictures of oil fires...
...Concern is also rising over the south's internal divisions. The prospect of independence has brought tribe, clan and internal SPLM rivalries to the fore. Around 2,500 people died in tribal clashes over land in 2009, mostly along the border with the north, and many of them among southerners. Dozens of "independent" SPLM candidates will run against official SPLM nominees in April...
...Kicking off his party's campaign on Feb. 24, the south's President, Salva Kiir Mayardit, was hardly encouraging. He ordered his troops "not to disrupt or intimidate" rivals and warned his new southern opponents not to campaign "using firearms." Says one veteran southern Sudan aid worker: "Not only is there no capacity in the government, there often seems like there's no interest in setting some up. People are just grabbing pieces for themselves...
...being well spent, in southern Sudan there is a scandal over it not being used at all. In 2005, the world set up a $526 million Southern Sudan Multi-Donor Trust Fund, administered by the World Bank, to pay for roads, running water, agriculture, health and education for the south's 8-9 million people. In February a high-level World Bank delegation spent two weeks in the south investigating why its staff had spent only $217 million. The visitors concluded they were "not satisfied" with the Sudan team's performance. Others say the bank was simply...