Thousands flee northern Sudan ahead of vote

Sudan’s looming referendum has been dubbed ‘The Final Walk to Freedom’ and for some southern Sudanese that walk has very much become a reality.

Aid agencies say they are struggling to cope as thousands flee the Muslim north ahead of Sunday’s succession vote. Many returning home claim persecution.

“My husband and I were in Khartoum, but we came back here because in the north they don’t give us our rights,” said one woman.

In the south’s capital Juba, the result is widely predicted to be a ‘Yes’ to split with the north and create a separate nation.

After years of war and dire poverty, many southern Sudanese are not just happy, they are delirious that finally they may get their independence as early as July.

Euronews’ correspondent Mohamed El Hamy in Juba said: “They have gathered to support separation, a goal for hundreds of southern Sudanese. They want to emphasize the importance of the referendum and the importance of secession.”

Nearly four million people in the mainly Christian south are registered to vote in the ballot which begins this Sunday and will last for a week.

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