South Africa’s government will appeal at the constitutional court a ruling that the state made an error in letting Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir leave the country, the justice ministry said on Friday.
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“We reject this referendum and will not concede its outcome because the referendum should be held after we reach a comprehensive political settlement… and the displaced and refugees return to their villages”, said Jibril Belal, the spokesman for a main rebel group in Darfur.
The United States expresses serious concern regarding the Government of Sudan’s plans to conduct a referendum on April 11-13 over the political future of Darfur. Insecurity in Darfur and the inadequate registration of those living in internally-displaced persons’ camps hinder participation, the State Department said in an e-mailed statement.
Ethnic minority insurgents battling government forces since 2003 say ongoing fighting will intimidate potential voters and discourage them from casting ballots.
Al-Bashir recently challenged accusations that the Sudanese army has been bombing and torching villages in Darfur and said the region was at peace.
Sudan, which later split Darfur further into five states, has presented this week’s referendum as a major concession.
On Saturday, the United States State Department said holding a referendum to determine the administrative status of Darfur under the current conditions will be credible.
“We protested in the three camps of Hamidiya, Khams Dagaig and Hasahisa, we marched around the camps chanting: ‘No to the referendum!'”, said Ibarhim Sudi a resident of the Hamidiya camp and member of its IDP office, without giving precise numbers for the people taking part.
The U.S. reiterated her support the people of Sudan who wish to advance peaceful governance and inclusive participatory politics for long-term stability in Sudan.
Although violence has eased in recent years, the insurgency continues and Khartoum has escalated attacks on rebels over the past year. In a statement released Sunday, the SLA called on “all the people of Darfur … to stand with full force to confront the referendum, which leads to fragmentation of the social fabric”.
South Sudan, roughly the same size as a unified Darfur, fought the north through more than two decades of civil war until a 2005 peace deal gave it the right to a referendum on whether to secede.
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In 2011, southerners overwhelmingly voted to declare independence and South Sudan became independent that year though both countries remain at loggerheads over disputed territories and other issues while the south has slipped into civil war.
