Sudan: Bashir Threatens South Over
Referendum
Sudan's
President, Omar Al Bashir, has warned former southern rebels
that if they refused to take part in April's elections, a
southern referendum on secession would not happen.
April's first multi-party elections in 24 years and the January
2011 southern referendum on independence are key elements of a
2005 peace deal between the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement ,
SPLM and Bashir's National Congress Party (NCP). The opposition,
including the SPLM, says the elections cannot be free and fair.
The Row
Bashir's warning is a clear message to the SPLM to distance
itself from the opposition, some of whom have threatened to
boycott April's vote.
The opposition, NCP, which cites a
continued conflict in Darfur and unresolved complaints of
electoral irregularities, wants the polls delayed until
November.
REUTERS/Williams
