Nigeria Content Online

South Sudan’s
polling centres closed their doors on Saturday after a week-long vote
on independence from the north that could end a vicious cycle of civil
war with the creation of the world’s newest nation.

Former U.S.
president, Jimmy Carter, leading a mission observing the vote, said
turnout could reach 90 per cent and that it seemed likely the south had
voted for independence. Exhausted polling staff processed a straggle of
voters on the final day in the southern capital Juba. Some officials
were so tired they were sleeping behind their dusty stalls.

Final results are
due before February 15, but could be announced as early as the
beginning of next month. The vote caps a 2005 peace agreement that
ended decades of civil war between the mostly Muslim north and the
south, where most follow Christianity and traditional beliefs. Northern
officials have appeared increasingly resigned to losing the
oil-producing south – which makes up a quarter of the country’s land –
allaying fears conflict could reignite.

Mr. Carter, leading
one of the largest observation missions, told reporters in Khartoum a
handful of centres had reported 100 per cent turnout and were already
tallying the results. “We already know that in the south there’s been
about an average of 90 per cent (participation) from the stations we’ve
observed and I think they are representative,” Mr. Carter said.

In the few centres
where he had seen counting under way, he said, the votes “were
practically unanimous in favour of separation, with only a few ballots
to the contrary. “It’s highly likely that the referendum result will be
in favour of separation,” he said, but added that no one should
prejudge the outcome.

At least 60 per
cent of registered voters needed to take part for the result to be
binding. That point was reached just four days into the vote, according
to the organising commission. Mr. Carter also said the vote had
probably met international standards and Khartoum said it would
recognise the result, meaning all southerners must do now is wait to
celebrate their independence day, likely on July 9.

The former U.S. president played down threats of popular protests in the north following the vote.

“My hope is that
the opposition parties in the north will be brought into consultations
with President (Omar Hassan al-) Bashir’s party and that they will
prepare for modifications for the constitution,” he said.

Southern
independence campaigners have described the vote as a chance to throw
off decades of perceived northern repression. Mr. Bashir said in a
speech in Khartoum state that neither the north nor Muslims had ever
oppressed the south, but rather the divisions were the legacy of the
ex-colonial power, Britain.

“The south has been a burden on Sudan from independence until today,” he said on state television.

More than 182,000
exiled southerners have returned to the south since the end of October,
according to U.N. figures, many of them fearing repercussions in the
north after the vote. South Sudan’s government believes that figure
could rise to as much as half a million by the beginning of July, said
the U.N.’s deputy humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, Lise Grande.
“Services are already overstretched. With more people coming back there
will be tremendous pressures on agencies,” she said.

REUTERS