Sudan begins referendum in Darfur despite US peace concerns News
Sudan begins referendum in Darfur despite US peace concerns

[JURIST] The government of Sudan on Monday began its three-day referendum in the western region of Darfur despite concerns [press statement] from the US State Department that the political process would undermine peace efforts. The Darfur Referendum Commission hopes [Al Jazeera report] to resolve administrative debates by allowing voters to decide whether Darfur becomes one unified region or remains divided into five states. The commission plans to hold the referendum in 1,400 centers throughout the states’ 62 localities and has promised to preserve the region’s culture as stated in the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur [text, PDF]. The US, however, stated that such a voting process would not be fully inclusive since millions of Darfuris residing outside the region and in internally displaced persons camps would be prohibited from participating. The US further advised Sudan to resolve the Darfur conflict and end all hostilities by holding a genuine national dialogue that effectively includes all the Sudanese people.

The ongoing conflict in Darfur between the Sudanese government and the Sudan Liberation Army/Abdul Wahid has taken approximately 300,000 lives, and at least 138,000 people had been newly displaced [UN News Centre report] from the central region of Jebel Marra as of late March. In February a UN expert called for an end [JURIST report] to the conflict and urged Sudan to respect international law and human rights and provide access to the UN-African Union Mission (UNAMID) [official website].