SUDAN / REFERENDA PANEL JUBA

The panel appointed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to monitor the 2011 self-determination referenda in southern Sudan and the disputed Abyei region arrives in Juba and meets with President Salva Kiir Mayardit of the regional Government of Southern Sudan. UNMIS

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:25
• Production Date: 13 October 2010
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS ASSISTANCE MISSION IN SUDAN - UNMIS
• Subject Topical: ELECTIONS
• Geographic Subject: SUDAN
• MAMS Id: U101013d

Description

STORY: SUDAN / REFERENDA PANEL
TRT: 1.25
SOURCE: UNMIS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 12 - 13 OCTOBER 2010, JUBA, SUDAN

Shotlist

12 OCTOBER 2010, JUBA, SUDAN

1. Tracking shot, former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa entering President Salva Kiir’s office
2. Med shot, President Salva greeting Mkapa
3. Med shot, Vice President Riek Machar and Pagan Amum seated
4. Wide shot, former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa and President Salva Kiir seated

13 OCTOBER 2010, JUBA, SUDAN

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Darrin Farrant, Panel Spokesperson:
“We are here to support the Sudanese to make the referenda as credible and successful as possible. Ultimately it is up to the Sudanese for that to happen. We are here to support them in any way we can to resolve any dispute as they emerge and to encourage the parties to work through the issues to overcome the key challenges and obstacles so that the referenda can be held on time.”
6. Wide shot, exterior of Southern Sudan Referendum Bureau
7. Med shot, Justice Chan Mdut – Chairman of the Southern Sudan Referendum Bureau greeting delegation
8. Med shot, Benjamin Mkapa seated
9. Wide shot, meeting room
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Justice Chan Mdut, Chairperson of the Southern Sudan Referendum Bureau:
“This Referendum is about the future of the whole nation, and the support from the international community is indispensable. Let them be besides us not only materially but even morally.”
11. Wide shot, panel officials leaving

Storyline

A three-person panel appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to monitor the 2011 self-determination referenda in Southern Sudan and the disputed Abyei region arrived in Juba on Tuesday and held a 90-minute discussion with President Salva Kiir Mayardit of the regional Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS).

Voting in both referenda is scheduled to begin on 9 January 2011. Southern Sudanese voters will be asked to choose between continued unity with the rest of the country or secession, while voters in Abyei will decide whether to remain in northern Sudan or join the south.

Led by the former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa, the panel members discussed a variety of issues with GoSS President Kiir, ranging from how to hold a free and fair referendum in Southern Sudan to security arrangements during the upcoming campaign and key post-referendum challenges.

With less than 90 days left before voting in the Southern Sudan referendum is scheduled to start, panel spokesperson Darrin Farrant said that the established timetable can still be met if all interested parties are prepared to work hard and demonstrate goodwill.

SOUNDBITE (English) Darrin Farrant, Panel Spokesperson:
“We are here to support the Sudanese to make the referenda as credible and successful as possible. Ultimately it is up to the Sudanese for that to happen. We are here to support them in any way we can to resolve any dispute as they emerge and to encourage the parties to work through the issues to overcome the key challenges and obstacles so that the referenda can be held on time.”

The panel also met with the Southern Sudan Referendum Bureau Chairman Justice Chan Mdut and were briefed on the structures established by the bureau across Southern Sudan as well as the challenges it faces.

Justice Chan Mdut assured the panel that both the Government of Southern Sudan and the national Government of Sudan are committed to ensuring that the referendum takes place on time.

SOUNDBITE (English) Justice Chan Mdut, Chairperson of the Southern Sudan Referendum Bureau:
“This Referendum is about the future of the whole nation, and the support from the international community is indispensable. Let them be besides us not only materially but even morally.”

The panel will travel on Thursday to Khartoum for a meeting with President Omar Al-Bashir. It will continue to visit Sudan on a regular basis over the next 12 weeks and report back to the Secretary-General.

Ban formed the panel in September in response to a request from the parties to Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement for the establishment of a UN monitoring body that would pronounce on the legitimacy and transparency of the referenda after the voting has ended.