UN Security Council Focuses on Sudan Ahead of Crucial Referenda

The United Nations Security Council is set to intensify its focus on Sudan as the country approaches a critical juncture with the scheduled referenda on secession and administrative status. British Ambassador to the UN, Mark Lyall Grant, emphasized the need for close attention to Sudan's situation, highlighting the importance of a timely, credible, and peaceful referendum outcome. The Security Council's program of work for November is centered on Sudan, with a ministerial meeting scheduled for November 16, chaired by British Foreign Secretary William Hague.

Key Takeaways:

• The UN Security Council is prioritizing Sudan ahead of the critical referenda on secession and administrative status on January 9, 2011.
• The ministerial meeting scheduled for November 16 will be chaired by British Foreign Secretary William Hague, who will reassert the importance of a timely, credible, and peaceful referendum outcome.
• The referendums were mandated by the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which ended a 20-year civil war between the central government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA).
• The CPA included provisions for the secession referendum and the separate vote on Abyei's administrative status.
• inhabitants of southern Sudan will vote on secession, while residents of Abyei will decide on whether to remain part of the north or join the south.

Statistics:

• The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) ended a 20-year civil war between the central government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA).
• The CPA mandated the secession referendum and the separate vote on Abyei's administrative status.
• The referendums are scheduled to take place on January 9, 2011.
• 2011: Year the referendums will take place.
• The Security Council's program of work for the month of November is centered on Sudan.

Sources:

• [Xinhua via COMTEX, November 2, 2010]