[Mirayafm] Sudanese government calls for emergency meeting of Presidency on South Sudan census postponement

[Miraya FM News Alert]

The Council of Ministers of the
Government of National Unity has called for an emergency meeting of the
Sudanese Presidency following the decision of the Government of Southern
Sudan (GoSS) to postpone  the
census in the south of the country. The Council of Ministers also called
on GoSS to reverse its decision.

 



 

Sudanese Vice President and President of
Southern Sudan Salva Kiir Mayardit is expected to travel to 
Khartoum
 to meet President Omar Al-Bashir on
Monday to discuss the issue.

 



 

The National Congress Party called on
the government of southern  to reverse
its decision of postponing the Census exercise. In an emergency meeting it
conducted on Saturday night, the National Congress Party described the
decision taken by the government of southern  as unconstitutional. Speaking to Miraya FM, the Secretary of
Information in the National Congress Party, Dr. Kamal Obeid, said that
such resolution reflects differences regarding decision-making within the
Government of South Sudan.

 



 

Earlier, the Minister of Information and
Broadcasting in the Government of Southern Sudan, Gabriel Changson Chang,
had announced the postponement in southern  of the census scheduled start 15th April until 'later this year". The Minister said
that issues of the north-south border demarcation, insecurity, religion
and ethnicity are the most important reasons behind the postponement of
the Census. He said that there are almost two million southern Sudanese
displaced people in northern  waiting to
be repatriated to their places of origin in the south.

 



 

In other reactions, the head of the
Central Bureau of Statistics, Yasin Haj Al-Abdine, said that it is an
unfortunate decision for the Census not to take place in the south.
Speaking to Miraya FM, Dr. Abdine rejected the justifications made by the
government of southern  to postpone the
Census adding that they are not convincing. Dr. Abdine added that the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement did not stipulate the return of the
displaced people for Census to take place.

 



 

The head of the Census Monitoring and
Observation Committee, Abdel Bagi Al-Jilani, told Miraya FM that all the
preparations for conducting the Census in northern  are completed. 
Mr. Jilani did not confirm or deny whether the Census exercise will
take place in northern  without the
south. He said that they are waiting for a final decision from the
Presidency to resolve the issue.

 

Darfur Factions have meanwhile welcomed
the decision taken by the government of 
to postpone the Census. The Factions said that the current security
situation in 
Darfur
 is not favorable for conducting the Census
exercise.

 



 

The National Umma Party criticized the
decision taken by the government of southern .  The Party said that
the decision is illogic and that it came with a bad timing.   The Spokesperson of the
National Umma Party, Mohammed Saty, told Miraya FM that the Census is
linked with a lot of important decisions for the country. Mr. Saty said
that the Comprehensive Peace Agreement stipulated that conducting the
Census shall guarantee the impartial process of the elections and
referendum.

 

  

 

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of
Mohammed Osman Mirghani said that the decision violates the National
Interim Constitution. The DUP said that the current situation  is complicated. The Deputy
Chairman of the DUP, Mahmoud Hassenin, told Miraya FM that the decision
taken by the government of southern 
despite its justifications will negatively affect the forthcoming
elections.

 



 



 



 








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