referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
that was originally due to be held in 2011 in which the residents of
Abyei
The Abyei Area ( ar, منطقة أبيي) is an area of on the border between South Sudan and the Sudan that has been accorded "special administrative status" by the 2004 Protocol on the Resolution of the Abyei Conflict (Abyei Protocol) in ...
South Kordofan
South Kordofan ( ar, جنوب كردفان ') is one of the 18 wilayat or states of Sudan. It has an area of 158,355 km² and an estimated population of approximately 1,100,000 people (2000).Bahr el Ghazal Bahr el-Ghazal (Arabic بحر الغزال , also transliterated ''Bahr al-Ghazal'', ''Baḩr al-Ghazāl'', ''Bahr el-Gazel'', or versions of these without the hyphen) may refer to two distinct places, both named after ephemeral or dry rivers.
Chad ...
region of
South Sudan
South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the ...
.
History
The referendum was originally planned to be held simultaneously to the 2011 South Sudanese independence referendum on January 9–15, 2011, but was postponed indefinitely due to disagreements over the process. Due to the uncertainty, violence erupted in which more than 30 people were killed. As a response the UN deployed extra troops to its
UNMIS
The United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) was established by the UN Security Council under Resolution 1590 of 24 March 2005, in response to the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the government of the Sudan and the Suda ...
contingent The impasse on the referendum is due to lack of agreement on who constitutes a "resident of Abyei". The question is whether to include the
Messiria tribe
The Messiria (), known also under the name of Misseriya Arabs, are a branch of the Baggara ethnic grouping of Arab tribes.Adam, Biraima M. 2012. Baggara of Sudan: Culture and Environment, Amazon online Books''Baggara of Sudan: Culture and Enviro ...
, who have historically stayed in the region every year for six months.
On 24 October 2012, the African Union proposal was to hold a referendum in October 2013, in accordance with the endorsement from the African Union Peace and Security Council following a mediation team led by former South African President
Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki KStJ (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who was the second president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Congress (ANC ...
that included the exclusion of the Messiria, until Sudan rejected the offer saying it was sovereign over the region and that such a demarche would threaten the entire
conflict resolution
Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of conflict and retribution. Committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively communicating information abo ...
process. It also offered a six-week delay, until 9 December, to agree to the terms of a referendum between Sudan and South Sudan. Sudanese Foreign Minister
Ali Karti
Ali Ahmed Karti ( ar, علي أحمد كرتي; born 27 October 1953) is a Sudanese politician. Karti served as Foreign Minister of Sudan from 2010 to 2015.
Karti studied law at the University of Khartoum
The University of Khartoum (U of K) ...
said that he had confidence that the AU would accord both states more time to resolve difference over organising the referendum. He told the Sudanese parliament, in particular MPs from
South Kordofan
South Kordofan ( ar, جنوب كردفان ') is one of the 18 wilayat or states of Sudan. It has an area of 158,355 km² and an estimated population of approximately 1,100,000 people (2000).
Between 27 and 29 October 2013 an informal, non-binding vote was held, although unrecognised by either Sudan or South Sudan. Only the Ngok Dinka tribe participated, with the Arab Misseriya tribe boycotting, claiming it would not recognise the result. The vote followed UN and AU warnings that such a move could inflame tensions. As counting took place, the Misseriya vowed to carry out its own such referendum. The spokesman for the Abyei Referendum High Committee, Luka Biong, announced that of those who voted, 99.9% supported joining South Sudan; this was then followed by celebrations.
The head of the African Union, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, said the vote was illegal and its organisers risked sparking a return to war. "They pose a threat to peace in the Abyei area, and have the potential to trigger an unprecedented escalation on the ground... with far-reaching consequences for the region as a whole." An independent observer, Tim Flatman, said that 63,433 of 64,775 registered voters took part in the referendum and that only 12 voted to be part of Sudan, while there were 362 spoiled ballots. Flatman also suggested initial observations suggested a "very transparent process."