Southern Sudan President Rules Out Unilateral Declaration of Independence

Southern Sudan President Rules Out Unilateral Declaration of Independence

JUBA, Sudan -- In an exclusive interview, Southern Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit told World Politics Review that he doesn't think "there is any point where southerners will declare a unilateral independence."

The semi-autonomous region of Southern Sudan will hold a referendum in January 2011 on whether to secede from the North. The vote is one of the final steps of a comprehensive peace agreement (CPA) signed in 2005 that ended the country's two-decade long civil war.

At a Congressional hearing (.pdf) last year, former U.S. envoy to Sudan Roger Winter said the South's ruling party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), may "be forced into unilaterally declaring its independence because its CPA-mandated referendum is frustrated by Khartoum's actions and/or the hollow commitments of the international community."

Keep reading for free!

Get instant access to the rest of this article as well as three free articles per month. You'll also receive our free email newsletter to stay up to date on all our coverage:

Or, Subscribe now to get full access.

Already a subscriber? Log in here .

What you’ll get with an All-Access subscription to World Politics Review:

A WPR subscription is like no other resource — it’s like having your own personal researcher and analyst for news and events around the globe. Subscribe now, and you’ll get:

  • Immediate and instant access to the full searchable library of 15,000+ articles
  • Daily articles with original analysis, written by leading topic experts, delivered to you every weekday
  • Weekly in-depth reports on important issues and countries
  • Daily links to must-read news, analysis, and opinion from top sources around the globe, curated by our keen-eyed team of editors
  • Your choice of weekly region-specific newsletters, delivered to your inbox.
  • Smartphone- and tablet-friendly website.
  • Completely ad-free reading.

And all of this is available to you when you subscribe today.

More World Politics Review