Bashir accepts Sudan vote to secede

Sudan's president says he accepts the south's choice of independence following January's referendum. Last Modified: 07 Feb 2011 15:33 GMT

Bashir said he welcomed the results of the referendum in an address on state television [Reuters/Sudan television] Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's president, has said he accepts the results of a referendum that show a landslide vote for independence in the country's south. Preliminary results indicated 98.83 per cent of voters from the south chose to secede from the north, with final results expected later on Monday. "Today we received these results and we accept and welcome these results because they represent the will of the southern people," al-Bashir said on state television. "But we are committed to the links between the north and the south, and we are committed to good relations based on co-operation." His comments reflect the economic dependence between the two: southern Sudan, which is rich in oil, cannot export its oil resources without using a pipeline that runs through the north. The January 9-15 vote came six years after north and south Sudan ended a civil war spanning more than two decades, which left at least two million people dead. It has been seen as the climax of the 2005 peace deal, which set out to reunite the country and instil democracy. Uncertainties remain The final results of the referendum will be confirmed at a ceremony in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, attended by al-Bashir and Salva Kiir, the southern leader. Kiir welcomed al-Bashir's comments, saying he and the president's National Congress Party "deserve a reward". Al-Bashir, who campaigned against secession, has surprised many commentators with a series of positive remarks about the south in recent weeks. In Juba, the southern capital, small celebrations have been taking place. "This is our day for freedom. We are ready to celebrate all night long," Santino Machar, a student, was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying. "Today I don't fear war anymore, it is the past ... Our leaders have made friends with the north, but for me, I can never forgive them for what I have seen," Riak Maker, 29, told the Reuters news agency. "I don't hate them now, but I never want to see them again." Despite the celebratory mood, uncertainties remain over the north and south's economic and political stability. Sudan is almost entirely dependent on oil revenues and has struggled to find other sources of incomes. Al-Bashir is still being sought by the International Criminal Court over charges he orchestrated genocide in Darfur.

Source: Agencies