GoNU minister for Finance and National Economy warned the people of the North that tough austerity measures have to be taken if the South votes for independence in the January 2011 referendum.
Ali Mahmood Abdel-Rasool told London-based Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper that Khartoum would lose 70 per cent of oil reserves and half of its oil revenues.Mr. Abdel-Rasool added he prayed that the south does not secede from the north.
He expressed hope that oil discoveries in the North would help compensate for loss in oil revenue from the South.