South Sudan Says Voter Eligibility for Abyei Referendum Remains ‘A Grey Area’
Juba — South Sudan said on Wednesday Sudanese president, Omar al-Bashir, has agreed to hold a referendum to determine the future of the contested Abyei region but that voter eligibility still remains a “grey area”.
Sudan and South Sudan presidents met on the sidelines of the African Summit in Addis Ababa on 14 July in an effort to break the stalled talks between the two countries. The meeting was seen positive by the two parties as Bashir and Salva Kiir agreed on a number of issues leaving the details to their negotiating delegations.
“The talks are progressing well. We have been holding direct discussions without involving a third party. Actually this spirit started with lead negotiators. Sudanese defense minister Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein and I started direct discussions after returning from Khartoum”, Pagan Amum, South Sudan‘s lead negotiator, said on Wednesday.
Amum confirmed that South Sudan‘s president Salva Kiir pledged a transitional financial package to the government of neighbouring Sudan to close financial gap created by the secession which allowed Juba to inherit three-quarters of oil production.
When South Sudan seceded in 2011, analysts said oil will prevent a return to war and ensure stability in the relations between the two countries. However, it
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Category: South Sudan News
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