Refugees International said in a new report that the issue of post-referendum citizenship was not being adequately addressed by international organizations involved in the country, including the United Nations and the American government.
The report noted that if the January 2011 referendum passes, as is widely expected, southerners who are now considered internally displaced could become refugees overnight.
Joel Charny, vice president for policy at Refugees International and a co-author of the report recommended that International actors need to think in concrete terms about the possible risks to vulnerable communities.
Refugees International called on the United Nations to make citizenship issues among their top priorities. It also made an appeal to international donors to help fund a survey of southerners living in the north to better asses their post-referendum intentions.