20.Sudan: Southern Sudan May Hold Separate Independence Referendum - Envoy

Sudan: Southern Sudan May Hold Separate Independence Referendum - Envoy October 7, 2010 Southern Sudanese President Salva Kiir told U.N. Security Council (UNSC) envoys in Juba his region may hold its own independence referendum if the north disrupted January’s vote, Reuters reported Oct. 7, citing British UNSC envoy Mark Lyall Grant. A northern Sudanese official called Kiir’s statement “unacceptable,” saying Khartoum would not recognize an independence vote organized solely by the south. Kiir will not likely issue a unilateral declaration of independence, but Southern Sudan will schedule its own referendum if the north causes any politically-influenced delays, Grant said.