Envoys for the Security Council will leave for Sudan on Monday to hopefully help divert a civil war by making sure the referendum for independence of the South is not delayed. The refendum on southern independence is schedules for January 8th and a referendum on whether Abyei, a disputed oil-rich region, will remain with the north or join the south. Preparations for both are behind schedule and is why the envoys are heading to Sudan. Analysts warn that conflict could reignite if the referendum is delayed or disrupted.
Sudanese officials wanted the council to meet with President Omar Hassan al-Bashir but the US, British, and other delegations refused to meet with him and chose not to ask for time with him. Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha said that the Abyei referendum wont be held unless issues are settled in talks first.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69345T20101004
By: DJ Willey
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