Southern Sudanese march in support of seceding from north

Jul 05, 2010

HUNDREDS of Southern Sudanese living in Uganda marched through Kampala streets yesterday to show their support for a separate state ahead of a referendum on January 9, 2011.

By Taddeo Bwambale

HUNDREDS of Southern Sudanese living in Uganda marched through Kampala streets yesterday to show their support for a separate state ahead of a referendum on January 9, 2011.

The Southern Sudanese will next year vote in a referendum to decide whether to stay a part of the Sudan or to secede.

The procession of about 500 people, most of them towering youth, started at their liaison office on Plot 21 on Nakasero Road.

They marched on Yusuf Lule Road, through Nile Avenue and moved back to the liaison office, where several leaders addressed a cheering crowd amidst tight Police security.

They carried banners bearing Southern Sudan president, Salva Kiir and the late Dr. John Garang as they chanted “Bye Bye Oppression! Bye Bye Sharia Law!”
They blamed the Khartoum government for the suffering in several parts of the south, which has been plagued by insurgency, poverty and epidemics.

The president of the Southern Sudanese Students’ Union, Noel Ajo, attributed the plight of people in the south to discrimination on the basis of race, religion and the economy.

The leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) youth league, Eng. Paul Akol, said the unity government established in 2005 had failed to address the welfare of the people in the south.

He also blamed the Khartoum government for the instability in Southern Sudan, and accused it of arming militia groups to terrorise communities.

Akol explained that the SPLM has put in place the necessary structures to establish a separate government of southern Sudan.

He noted that having a separate government will check the attacks by the Lord’s Resistance Army in northern Uganda, Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Akol appealed to the Southern Sudanese to remain peaceful and united and thanked the Uganda Government for support.

He also revealed that the Sudanese community would dedicate the 9th day of every month to promote the campaign for seceding.

During the event, the Sudanese community paid tribute to Dr. John Garang, the fallen SPLA leader and other people who died during the civil war that ended in 2005.

Deruka Aduok, 52, from the Dinka Abor region said the independence of the south will free her relatives from bondage.

“We have fought for a long time to be free. I want my children to live peacefully in years to come,” she said.

The proposed South Sudan Republic combines 10 states, including Central Equatoria, Jonglei, Upper Nile, West Bahr al Ghazal, North Bahr al Ghazal, Unity, Warab, Lakes, Western Equatoria and Eastern Equatoria.

Secession is provided for in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which was signed in 2005, ending decades of war between the central government and the SPLA/M.

The agreement spelt out how oil revenues would be shared between the north and south and set up a coalition government. Southern Sudan and the oil-rich Abyei region were granted a 2011 referendum on possible secession.

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