Sudan is now holding a referendum on reunification or separation. Which part of Sudan does China support?

Xinhuanet Khartoum 65438+1October 7 (Reporter Li Zhihui) Sudan, the largest country in Africa, will hold a referendum to decide whether its southern region will secede from its northern region on the 9th. Because this referendum may change the geographical and political map of Africa and the Arab world, it has attracted great attention from the international community.

Analysts believe that no matter what the outcome of the referendum is, the Sudanese people and the whole world do not want to see the country fall into the abyss of violent conflict again. All parties need to make long-term and arduous efforts to maintain the relative stability since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the north and the south of Sudan in 2005 and to ensure that cooperation and stability overcome the conflicts and turmoil in the post-referendum era.

The referendum is ready.

Compared with the grim situation two months ago, there are differences between the north and the south on whether to hold the referendum in the southern region as scheduled, and the domestic atmosphere in Sudan is obviously relaxed at present. "The referendum will be held as scheduled" has become the main tone of all parties' statements.

Previously, the National Congress Party, the ruling party in northern Sudan, advocated that many outstanding issues such as the demarcation of the north-south border, the ownership of oil fields, the distribution of oil revenue and the sharing of debts must be resolved before the referendum, but this request was rejected by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, which actually controls the south. Subsequently, the north and the south accused each other of sending more troops at the border, which caused an extremely tense atmosphere.

Subsequently, in view of the attitude of the international community and southern Sudan, Sudanese President Bashir said that if the referendum can be held freely and fairly, the Sudanese government will respect the choice of the people in the south.

The Secretary-General of the Southern Sudan Referendum Committee said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency on the 5th that despite the tight preparation time, lack of funds and backward equipment, it is gratifying that the Referendum Committee has overcome these difficulties and all the preparatory work is basically ready. The referendum can start as scheduled on the 9 th and is expected to last for about a week.

He said that in order to ensure the transparency and fairness of the referendum, more than 1000 domestic observers and 1500 international observers will observe and supervise at major polling points to ensure the referendum is held smoothly and truly reflect the wishes of the people.

Sudan borders nine countries, including Egypt, Kenya and Ethiopia. It is located in the heart and transportation hub of Africa, and its southern area is equivalent to that of France.

According to statistics, nearly 4 million voters have successfully registered to participate in this referendum, of which more than 95% live in southern Sudan, and the rest live in northern Sudan and eight other countries, including Kenya, Egypt and the United States. According to the regulations, if the voter turnout rate of registered voters reaches 60% and more than half of the votes support reunification or separation, the referendum result is legal and valid.

Harmony between people is the mainstream.

Many experts and people interviewed by the reporter generally believe that the split between the north and the south during the colonial period in Sudan led to cracks, long-standing differences in race, religion and culture, and uneven economic and social development, which led to the separation of the south from Sudan.

At present, the people in southern Sudan are full of expectations for the referendum, hoping that the referendum will bring a peaceful new life. In Juba, the capital of southern Sudan, placards and posters about the referendum can be seen everywhere. On the news websites in southern Sudan, the countdown to the referendum is decreasing by the second, reminding people that the "historic moment" is coming.

However, the northern government and some northern people still have a glimmer of hope for reunification. Bashir said in Juba on the 4th that reunification is the best choice for the people in southern Sudan and is in the interest of all Sudanese people. Some people in Khartoum believe that the so-called contradiction between the North and the South is caused by the manipulation and interference of some western forces. The people of North and South should overcome these interferences and safeguard national unity.

Although there are different expectations for the results of the referendum, on the whole, the people in the north and south are generally harmonious and do not want the country to fall back into civil war.

"Whether it is reunification or division, peace is the most important thing." Abdullah Yassin, a 28-year-old lawyer working in Khartoum, told reporters. "I have many friends from the south. They get along well and don't want war to turn us into enemies."

In his speech on the 4th, Bashir stressed that no matter what the outcome of the referendum is, he will welcome it as long as it can bring peace. Earlier, southern leaders also said that if the south splits, it will maintain peace with the north.

Imad Gade, a professor of international relations at the Center for Pyramid Politics and Strategy Studies in Cairo, believes that due to the overlapping population between the North and the South, conflicts will inevitably occur in future population movements, but there is little possibility of a war. A major reason is that the hard-won peace has enabled Sudan's economy to achieve double-digit annual growth in recent years, which is mainly due to the cooperation between the two sides in the oil field.

"Although southern Sudan is rich in oil, it lacks oil refining facilities and pipelines to transport oil abroad. The north controls the oil industry chain, but there is no oil. This difference determines the necessity of strengthening cooperation after the separation of the North and the South, which will be an important guarantee for future peace between the North and the South, "he said.

There are challenges on the road to development.

At the same time, however, some analysts pointed out that Sudan's economic and social development is relatively backward, and the relationship between various political forces, tribes and sects is complex. There are many variables and challenges in the peaceful development of Sudan in the post-referendum era. Therefore, maintaining the current basically stable situation and avoiding frictions or even large-scale conflicts in some areas require the joint efforts of all Sudanese parties and the international community.

There are still differences between the North and the South on a series of important issues, such as border demarcation, citizenship and wealth distribution. The problem of water resources allocation, which affects the nerves of countries along the Nile, remains to be solved. There are still people from the other side of the ruling party in the north and south, whose nationality and membership will face new problems in the future, and their future is still inconclusive.

The two sides also failed to reach an agreement on the ownership of Abyei and the distribution of oil interests in this area. "A new round of conflict may be triggered once the North and South sides handle the Abyei status negotiations carelessly," Gade said.

In order to cope with the influence of the separation of the south on the future oil revenue of the north, the Sudanese government took measures and decided to cut government spending on a large scale. In addition, the strategy of accelerating the development of agriculture, mining and industry has also been put on the important agenda.

For the south, the challenges in the future are even greater. The infrastructure in the south is weak, the information transportation is extremely inconvenient, and the illiteracy rate is as high as over 90%.

Despite the above problems, the overall situation of peace and stability in Sudan should be maintained, which is the mainstream opinion of Sudan and the international community. People are full of expectations for a new chapter in Sudan's development.