The referendum for Sudan's Abyei region will not proceed as planned on 9 January, announced Nafaa Ali Nafaa, an aide to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, on Thursday . Nafaa confirmed, however, the general referendum for South Sudan secession will be held as scheduled. The plebiscites were originally slated to coincide. “It is essential to postpone the referendum on Abyei due to the lack of agreement determining who will vote in the elections and the insistence, of the Popular Movement to Liberate Sudan, that the region only belongs to the Dinka Naquk tribe," Nafaa said. Nafaa added that the Abyei region is inhabited by a variety of tribes, not just the Dinka Naquk. Sudanese in the oil-rich Abyei region were scheduled to vote on whether to join an independent South Sudan, should the southern Sudanese opt for independence on 9 January. The aide warned that continued disagreement between northern and southern officials over Abyei could fuel conflict. A security official of the ruling National Conference Party, Ali Hamed, said inadequate preparatory measures have rendered the Abyei vote impractical. Hamed claimed the Sudanese government is dealing with all submitted proposals, except those that deviate from protocol stipulated by the Naivasha peace agreement. Hamed emphasized that the northern and southern officials are taking part in negotiations in order to prevent a return to civil war, explaining that the peace agreement provides mechanisms to resolve differences. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
