20110108
africanews

After years of negotiations, John Garang, the president of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, the largest rebel movement in the south and the government of Sudan signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in January 2005. The power-sharing agreement signed in Naivasha, Kenya, ended the longest-running civil war in Africa. The focus of the whole country for the last few years had been on the first elections in almost 25 years and the referendum was not discussed until very recently.

Six years later, in January 2011, citizens of South Sudan will decide between unity and independence . They will choose between remaining part of Sudan or having their own country. Both parties claim that the referendum will not be postponed despite several disagreements on the borders, oil division and citizenship to name a few. The ruling party states that the border demarcation issue is enough to renew conflict, but the SPLM believes that the referendum should proceed as scheduled.

In the north, there will be no referendum, but the citizens of this region will be as affected as the south by unity or secession.We will hear from people from both sides.