The planned January 2011 referendum on independence for Southern Sudan must not be derailed by political forces whose interests bypass human dignity, justice and peace, two Sudanese Catholic bishops said.
Bishop Rudolf Deng Majak of Wau and president of the Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference, and Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Adwok Kur of Khartoum said the referendum established under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement must be supported by the United States and other nations, Catholic News Service reported.Bishop Deng, who leads a catholic delegation visiting the USA, noted that it was in the best interest of everyone in the North and the South that the CPA was implemented to its logical conclusion, adding that there were people both in the South and in the North who were undermining the basic understanding.
He further explained that in an effort to reduce tensions throughout the country, Sudanese church officials were re-launching the People-to-People Peace and Reconciliation Process.
The Process would train people to convene gatherings in local communities in an attempt to bridge cultural, tribal and religious differences that have built up over six decades of conflict.