January 25, 2011: Almost 99 percent of voters supported Sudan’s referendum for the south to secede from the north, according to Reuters. The week-long vote, completed on January 15, has been deemed legitimate by international election observers.

Photo by Felix Sarrazin

Nationwide preliminary results are scheduled for Jan. 31, and official results for Feb. 14, although a New York Times report notes that the final tally could be delayed.

The north of the country desires unity, but Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has said his government would accept the ballot results. Sudan’s northern population is mainly Muslim; southern residents are Christian and animist. The vote was part of a 2005 north-south peace agreement that ended a half century of civil war.

SOS Children's Villages is pleased to report that life in two SOS Villages and other programs continues undisturbed. SOS school and other activities remain open.

Raising SOS Children in the North and South with Some Uncertainty about Future

Sudan’s longtime civil war had a devastating effect on the Sudanese people, especially children.

To help give hope to the thousands of children living in fear and poverty due to war, SOS Children’s Villages opened its first village in Sudan in 1978. Today SOS runs one SOS Village in the north, in Khartoum, and one in the south, in Malakal.

South Sudan is marked by blue. Photo from Wikimedia Commons

According to Ali Mahdi, director of SOS Children's Villages-Sudan, despite the general calm the security and economic situation in the south is tense. It is still unclear what the vote’s outcome will mean for the general population.

Although no incidents have been reported in the major cities, in rural areas -- especially in the disputed towns of Abyei and Bentiu -- violent clashes have led to the death of more than 30 people.

Ongoing events have disrupted normal business ties between the north and the south, reports Mahdi. The south relies heavily on goods from the north, and southern residents are presently facing a dearth of goods. A team of SOS staff sent to assess the situation in the southern town of Malakal reports that prices have already increased sharply. SOS is closely monitoring developments.

Photo by Seger Erken

Children’s Needs are High in Sudan

SOS is used to operating in countries where political upheavals and natural disasters can leave children the hapless victims of circumstances beyond their control or understanding. Help us help them. Make a one-time donation now to SOS Children's Villages or learn about becoming an SOS Global Village Builder to provide monthly support of SOS around the world.

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