An official said yesterday the referendum on seld-determination for Southern Sudan due in January could be delayed.
Mohamed Khalil, chairperson of the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission, told Arabic broadcaster al-Jazeera that it would be difficult to meet the January deadline for organizing the vote.
He confirmed that even if the commission had the initial voters’ registration records available and published today, conducting the referendum on time would still be difficult.
On the same development, Mr. Khalil threatened to quit his position citing deadlock over the appointment of the secretary general which could further delay the preparations for the key vote.