Sudan's national opposition parties calling for mass demo in Khartoum on Monday

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service December 4, 2009:

(Khartoum, Sudan) – The coalition of national opposition parties is calling for a mass demonstration in Khartoum in front of parliament buildings on Monday.

The coalition says that the move is a protest against the NCP’s delay in passing key security and referendum legislation.

The coalition’s spokesman, Farouk Abu Issa, spoke to SRS from Khartoum on Friday.

[Farouk Abu Issa]:”The brothers and sisters in the coalition of national opposition parties, thought that it was important to take this action, because of the NCP’s reluctance to abolish laws that restrict our freedom, violate the constitution and are contrary to the principles of international human rights. We have decided to organize a mass gathering to express our opposition to this policy which is destroying democracy and the country itself. We have agreed on the time, it will be at 9.30 or 9.00 on Monday morning, and that is the day when the parliament will start its sessions.”

The National Congress Party has described the move as “sign of weakness of the opposition parties”.

A senior NCP member, Dr. Mandor El-Mahdi, speaking to SRS on Monday, described the action as a sign of weakness.

[Dr. Mandor El-Mahdi]: “Thinking of organizing this demonstration is a thinking that shows the weakness and incapability of the opposition parties in Sudan. People know that we have started the elections process and the voter registration exercise is about to come to an end. These parties should be mobilizing people and urging them to join the registration process, and to be prepared for the next step which is the elections stage. But these parties want to create this chaos and disturbance in order to justify why they are intending to boycott the elections.”

GONU has condemned the opposition parties’ plan to organize the demonstration.

The adviser to the GONU Minister of Information, Dr. Rabie Abdullaati, spoke to SRS from Khartoum.

[Dr. Rabie Abdullaati]: “The weird thing is that Farouk Abu Issa is a member of the parliament and many of the people who joined the Juba coalition are MPs. I wonder, these people are members of parliament and it is their responsibility to debate the issue of why the laws are not before parliament, and they are demanding the parliament to intact these laws. So who is demanding what from whom?!”

Dr. Rabie Abdullaati was speaking to SRS from Khartoum on Friday.

SPLM and NCP in deadlock over CPA implementation

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service December 4, 2009:

(Khartoum, Sudan) - The SPLM is asking for a mediator to break the deadlock between them and the NCP over the issue of CPA implementation.

The NCP rejected a proposal from the SPLM to involve regional bodies like IGAD, (the Inter-governmental Agency for Development), to help them reach a solution before the 2010 election.

SPLM secretary-general Pagan Amum told SRS on Thursday that time has run out for them to settle the issue of the referendum laws and the democratic transformation laws which have not yet been presented to parliament.

[Pagan Amum]: “There is a deadlock between the two parties. The NCP is blocking the implementation of the CPA, despite its previous commitment. We were supposed to adopt the referendum laws on southern Sudan’ self-determination one-and-half years ago, but, up to today we could not because the NCP is refusing to submit the legislation to the parliament. The NCP is also violating the constitution and the CPA by insisting on the national security laws that gives powers of impunity to the security forces to arrest Sudanese citizens without an arrest warrant from the courts. So the next move is to call on IGAD, the international community and the UN Security Council to intervene to prevent the collapse of the peace agreement and to avoid a return to war.”

However, the NCP has rejected the SPLM’s proposition, saying that the CPA stipulates that it is the duty of both partners to discuss and agree on issues regarding its implementations.

Dr. Rabbie Abdullaatti is an NCP member and the advisor to the Minister of information in the Government of National Unity.

[Dr. Rabbie Abdullaatti]: “I don’t think that there is any need for IGAD or any regional organization to be involved in the implementation of the CPA since we know that only a few issues are under discussion between the two parties. A joint committee has been formed by the SPLM and the NCP to resolve and find a compromise regarding the referendum act and the national security laws. So our suggestion is that the SPLM should stop boycotting the parliamentary sessions. They should come forward and give their views in the assembly. This statement by the secretary-general of the SPLM is just a political message to the African Union and IGAD.”

The SPLM and other opposition parties are boycotting parliamentary sessions and they threaten to boycott the elections if the NCP doesn’t reform laws that they say impede democratic transformation in Sudan.

South Sudan: Unity State's voter registrars unable to reach people in remote areas

We have problems with people who are refusing to be registered, like the people in the cattle camps. They keep asking us why they should register. Some are saying that they won’t register unless we register their bull...

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service December 4, 2009:

(Bentiu, S. Sudan) - The voter registration committee in Unity state said they are not able to reach people in remote areas because of the conditions of the roads.

A registrar in Biey payam, Michael Nhial Kach, told SRS on Thursday that it is hard for them to reach the cattle camps where most people have taken their cattle for pasture. Another challenge they are facing is that people have not understood the significance of registering to vote.

[Michael Nhial Kach]: “Our problem is that there are no roads and we are always going to places which take us two or three days to get to on foot. But the security situation is good because the police are escorting us. Secondly, we have problems with people who are refusing to be registered, like the people in the cattle camps. They keep asking us why they should register. Some are saying that they won’t register unless we register their bull. It always takes time for us to explain and convince them.”

Nhial added that despite the challenges they are working hard to get all the people in the area to register before the registration process ends on December 7.

South Sudan: Traffic police in Payinjiar, Mayiandit and Leer counties in Unity state accused of demanding bribes from passing motorists

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service December 4, 2009:

(Bentiu, southern Sudan) –Traffic police in Payinjiar, Mayiandit and Leer counties in Unity state are being accused of demanding bribes from passing motorists.

An owner of a lorry that travels regularly on the Payinjiar - Leer road claims that local authorities are demanding a lot of money in all road blocks.

Our correspondent in Unity state, Mabor Puot, sent this the report…

[Mabor Puot]: “There is only one lorry that operates between Payinjiar and Leer. The owner of that lorry threatened to stop operating between those two counties because he has to pay too many bribes. There are four main road-blocks in Mayom payam in Payinjiar county. He pays 20 SDG to the traffic police every day. He is also paying some money to local authorities. The same thing also happens at county headquarters where he has to pay more money. There are complaints coming from travelers about the bus fares. When you are going from Leer to Panyjiar you pay 30 Sudanese pounds. And this is a lot but the owners say they are charging people that much because they are being bribed. When I asked Thak Keel, the police officer in Panyjiar headquarters about the accusations, he told me that it was the government’s business and none of my business.”

That was our correspondent Mabor Puot, in Bentiu.

US Embassy in Khartoum has organised an HIV/AIDS awareness workshop for 700 IDP students in Khartoum

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service December 4, 2009:

(Khartoum, Sudan) – The US Embassy in Khartoum has organized an HIV/AIDS awareness workshop for 700 IDP students in Khartoum.

Speaking to SRS during the workshop in Khartoum on Friday, the regional medical officer from embassy, Dr. Behzad Shahbazian, explained why the workshop was being organized for the students.

[Dr. Behzad Shahbazian]: “The goal of the programme was to reach out and educate the students in Khartoum about H-I-V and AIDS. Specifically what the disease is, how you can get it, how it is transmitted, ways to prevent it, the transmission of the disease and how you can protect yourself. Also to educate everyone about the available testing facilities here in Khartoum and in all of Sudan and also to let the students know that there is treatment available. HIV/AIDS is a problem, it is a big problem in Sub-Saharan Africa and the best way for someone to protect themselves from HIV/ AIDS is to educate themselves about it and to know the facts. To know what is right and what is wrong and to get tested if they feel they are at risk. I think that is the big message.”

Doctor Behzad Shahbazian was talking to Sudan Radio Service in Khartoum on Friday.

New Governor of Upper Nile arrived in Malakal Thursday

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service December 4, 2009:

(Malakal, S. Sudan) - The newly-appointed Governor of Upper Nile state, Dr. William Othwonh, arrived in Malakal on Thursday.

Othwonh said upon his arrival in Malakal airport that he was coming to fulfill the aspiration of the people of Upper Nile state.

[William Othwonh]: “Really, I am unable to express myself dear brothers, citizens and colleagues because I am so excited. But I ask the almighty God to give me grace to be honest and serve people honestly with justice and equality. Each one should have his freedom so that he feels he is a citizen of the state and should be secure walking in the streets, sleeping in his home, without fear of insecurity. I urge all brothers and sisters, irrespective of positions whether executive, public or political, to work together for the sake of citizens of this state”.

Dr. William Othwonh was appointed by the National Congress Party to replace Lieutenant-general Gatluak Deng Garang.

NEC has criticised a report by the Carter Center

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, December 3, 2009:

(Khartoum) – The National Elections Commission has criticized a report by the Carter Center which indicated that millions of Sudanese citizens may not vote in the coming general elections.

The chairman of the voter registration committee of the NEC, Lieutenant-general Mohammed Ahmed al-Mahdi, said that the report is unfairly critical of the way the registration exercise is being carried out.

[Lieutenant-general Mohammed Ahmed al-Mahdi]: "The Carter Center report is wrong. The report talks of political issues, the law and disagreements between the SPLM and the NCP. This has nothing to do with the National Elections Commission. The main question is: has NEC implemented the registration process efficiently? I would say yes. I am the one in charge of the registration in the Commission and now the statistics are available. Yesterday, we managed to go beyond 12 million voters and this has never happened in the history of Sudanese elections. So it is up to you to make the comparison. In the 1986 elections, we had 5 million voters and now we have over 12 million, not to mention the fact that we still have one week left and a total of 8000 officers in the field.

Mohammed Ahmed al-Mahdi was speaking at a press conference in Khartoum on Wednesday.

Fifty disabled people benefiting from SEM project in Wau, southern Sudan

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, December 3, 2009:

(Wau) – The Sudan Evangelical Mission in Western Bahr el-Ghazal state has donated twenty-one tricycles for disabled people in the state.

The SEM program coordinator, Timothy Kessang, explained to SRS who would be receiving the tricycles.

[Timothy Kessang]: “Disability being the mandate of SEM, we are planning to distribute tricycles to people with disabilities and our priority this time will be going to children who are in schools and universities. That is our major concern at the moment. We also have other mobility aids which are coming and we also wish to distribute them in Way county.

Kessang added that since they had started the project in Western Bahr el-Ghazal they have seen an improvement in the lives of the disabled in the state.

[Timothy Kessang]: “We are proud of this because since we started our program in WBG you can see a lot of changes and you go to the markets and you can find those beneficiaries that we helped doing well in their businesses. This illustrates that it doesn’t mean that a disabled person is not able.”

Fifty disabled people are benefiting from the SEM project in Wau.

South Sudan: NCP confident of winning general elections in Unity State

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, December 3, 2009:

(Bentiu) – The National Congress Party says they are confident of winning the general elections in Unity State.

The NCP secretary-general in Unity state, Dr. Bill Charoa, arrived in Bentiu on Thursday with five other NCP ministers, to mobilize people to register and vote for NCP candidates next year.

[Dr. Bill Charoa]: “The NCP is devising a strategy to win the elections in the state. That is our goal, and with our popularity here we are going to win the coming election in Unity state. That is our target because we know the needs of the citizens. The citizens have the right to determine who will be elected or who will not. We have done very good things in the state, especially under the coalition government. The Minister of Roads and the Minister of Communication are both NCP members and people see the commitment we have to development in the state.”

The NCP team, led by Husama Abdullah, the Minister for Hydrological Resources in the Government of National Unity, is visiting all of the states in southern Sudan.

Coalition of opposition parties will meet SPLM to appoint a joint presidential candidate

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, December 3, 2009:

(Juba) – There are indications that a coalition of opposition parties will meet the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement on December 12 to appoint a joint presidential candidate for elections which are scheduled for April 2010.

Asked about rumors that the coalition of opposition parties, together with the SPLM, had nominated former prime minister Sadiq Al-Mahdi as their candidate for the presidential elections, the secretary-general of the SPLM says that no decision has been reached yet.

Pagan Amum spoke to Sudan Radio Service on Thursday from Juba.

[Pagan Amum: “On December 12, this coalition is going to discuss the possibility of nominating a single candidate and we will be looking at the possibility of forming a political alliance. No names have been discussed yet, but we are going to look into a possibility of nominating a single candidate.”

The adviser to the Ministry of Information in GONU, Rabie Abdulaati, commented on the move by SPLM to join the coalition of opposition parties in naming a single presidential candidate.

[Rabie Abdulaati]: “Yes, this is a SPLM strategy; they should look for whatever strategy they feel is suitable for them to enter the elections - this is up to them. So I can not decide or determine what the SPLM will do.”

That was the adviser to the ministry of information in GONU, Rabie Abdulaati, speaking to Sudan Radio Service from Khartoum.

Gambari replaces Adada as head of UNAMID

Nigerian diplomat Ibrahim Gambari is to become the head of the UN-African Union peacekeeping force in the conflict-hit Darfur region, the UN has announced.

Mr Gambari is a former Nigerian foreign minister who is currently serving as UN special envoy to Burma.

He will take up his post on 1 January 2010, a spokeswoman for UN chief Ban Ki-moon said.

Mr Gambari replaces Congolese diplomat Rodolphe Adada, who stepped down earlier this year.

Full story: BBC News Gambari to head Darfur UN mission 01:37 GMT, Thursday, 3 December 2009.

South Sudan: Teachers in Central Equatoria on strike

This is the second time in the last six months that the teachers in Central Equatoria state have gone on strike because of non-payment of salaries.

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, December 2, 2009:

(Juba) – Teachers in Central Equatoria state are continuing their strike action, demanding two months of unpaid wages from the Government of Southern Sudan.

The teachers’ representative, Rev Daniel Swaka, told SRS that the state government had paid them salaries for the month of September and had promised to pay the remaining salaries by October.

However, the state director in the Ministry of Education, David Lowela, said that the government had never promised to pay the teachers in October.

[David Lowela]: “Teachers in other counties have not been paid their salaries for September. We want this salary to be paid to teachers in the remaining five counties. Central Equatoria state has six counties altogether and only teachers in Juba county and in the state education department have been paid. So the minister is urging them to accept their September salaries and wait until teachers in the other counties are paid for the month of September and then the October salary will be given to all the teachers in the state at once.”

This is the second time in the last six months that the teachers in Central Equatoria state have gone on strike because of non-payment of salaries.

South Sudan: Up to 100,000 people in Lakes state risk infection from HIV/AIDS

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, December 2, 2009 by Mageng Wade:

(Rumbek) – The governor of Lakes state, speaking on World AIDS Day, says that up to 100,000 people in the state risk infection from the disease.

SRS correspondent, Mageng Wade, attended the World AIDS day event in Rumbek on Wednesday. He sent this report.

[Mageng Wade]: “The governor of Lakes state, Awet Akot, addressed Tuesday's gathering at Freedom Square saying that if a hundred thousand people in the state are infected with HIV/AIDS before the referendum, it will be a great loss to the state. Akot said that if AIDS spreads to the cattle camps and villages, it will be dangerous to the community, adding that people need to fight this expensive war regardless of who they are. He added that HIV/AIDS does not care whether you are a minister, governor, doctor or even a teacher; it kills everyone regardless of who you are. Statistics from the states shows that cases of HIV/AIDS are alarming and if people don’t exercise caution, then a quarter of the people might not vote during the elections and the referendum.”

That was SRS correspondent, Mageng Wade, reporting from Rumbek, Lakes state.

NEC says 12 million Sudanese people have registered to vote in the elections

Note that according to the statistics, Unity state boasts the highest number of voters registered in any of the 25 states of Sudan. 11 million voters registered in the 15 northern states and 2.5 million voters registered in the 10 states of southern Sudan.

The National Elections Commission has extended the registration period for an extra seven days, to end on December 7.

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, December 2, 2009:

(Khartoum) – The National Elections Commission has announced that 12 million people have registered to vote in the elections scheduled for April 2010.

Lieutenant-general Alhadi Mohammed Ahmed, a member of the National Elections Commission, announced the figures at a press conference on Tuesday in Khartoum.

[Alhadi Mohamed]: “So far, the number of registered citizens has reached 12 million voters and we think this is a very reasonable number in accordance with the international targets which were set by the United Nations. We are expecting to reach 80 percent, which will be between 13 to 14 million voters. Although we have limited time which has required the elections to be pushed back from April 5 to 11, the adjustment might take us into the rainy season which as we all know limits access to many parts of Sudan, especially the south, the southern part of Blue Nile and South Kordofan and the southern part of White Nile and southern Darfur. All these areas get affected by the rain and their rainy seasons come earlier. So I believe for an election, the number we have is very reasonable compared to the previous registration which was conducted in 1986.”

According to the statistics, Unity state boasts the highest number of voters registered in any of the 25 states of Sudan. 11 million voters registered in the 15 northern states and 2.5 million voters registered in the 10 states of southern Sudan.

The National Elections Commission has extended the registration period for an extra seven days, to end on December 7.

SLM-Nur claim they killed 10 SAF soldiers and wounded 4 others in fighting around Jebel Marra and Torran Tora, W. Darfur

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, December 2, 2009:

(Juba) – The Sudanese Liberation Movement, Abdelwahid el-Nur faction, claim that they killed 10 SAF soldiers and wounded 4 others in fighting around Jebel Marra and Torran Tora in Western Darfur on Monday.

An SLM spokesman, Abdel Rahman gave his version of the events to Sudan Radio Service on Wednesday.

[Abdal Rahman]: “The SAF moved from Nartiti and Torr and their purpose was to attack the SLM in Torran Tora in Western Darfur. The government and their militias attacked us but the SLM managed to stop them and we caused great damage to the government forces. We captured 5 vehicles from them. There are still dead bodies of SAF soldiers lying in SLM controlled areas now.”

SRS efforts to contact a SAF spokesman to comment on the SLM claim were unsuccessful.

TGI Thursday's - Dubai recently set the weekend as a universal Friday and Saturday

From ComingAnarchy.com November, 209, 2009:

A local take on a Western theme



The Dubai Mall has a T.G.I. Friday’s chain restaurant establishment, but the name does not match the local customary weekend. The Islamic holy day is Friday (whereas the Jewish holy day is Saturday, and the Christian holy day is Sunday). Dubai recently set the weekend as a universal Friday and Saturday to bring the country more in-line with global standards; some Arab states, such as Saudi Arabia, have the weekend on Thursday and Friday, reportedly because they refuse to have the weekend include the Jewish holy day.

A local restaurant in the Deira old town district of Dubai has a play on the T.G.I. Friday restaurant theme.

See CRISIS IN DUBAI: A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE

Andrew Heavens on AU Peace and Security Council trip to N. Darfur, W. Sudan 24 Nov 2009

North Darfur’s governor Osman Kebir told Tuesday’s trip he had welcomed about 800 delegations since July 2006.

One official was overheard referring to El Fasher’s “red carpet camps” where residents turn out to welcome party after party.

It was a reminder just how slick all sides to the Darfur conflict have become in selling their story to passing dignitaries — the rebels too have their spokespeople, websites and organised media tours...



Photo: View from the African Union bus driving through Abu Shouk camp, north Darfur. AU Peace and Security Council trip to North Darfur, 24/11/09. (Source: Andrew Heavens Flickr 25/11/09)



Photo: UNAMID headquarters El Fasher, Darfur. AU Peace and Security Council trip to North Darfur, 24/11/09. (Source: Andrew Heavens Flickr 25/11/09)

Related report from Reuters Blogs, November 25, 2009:
A slick visit to Darfur’s red carpet camps
By Andrew Heavens in Khartoum, Sudan

There was a time when visits to Darfur were uncertain affairs, fraught with danger. These days — as long as you travel with the right people and stick strictly to the right route — they can be as comfortable as a coach trip.

The African Union delegation plane touched down in El Fasher, North Darfur’s capital, at 9.35 a.m. on Tuesday. We were on the bus heading back to the airstrip at 4.40 p.m.

In between, the members of the African Union’s peace and security council visited the governor’s walled-in compound, where ambassadors watched tribal dancing and a PowerPoint presentation (complete with CD-ROM handout).

The next stop was the heavily secured UNAMID peacekeeping headquarters. Next, a razor-wired police station, 200 metres outside a displacement camp, where around 40 residents had been waiting for two hours to talk to the delegates.

Forty-five minutes later, the 18-vehicle convoy of buses, 4×4s and armed escorts drove slowly through Abu Shouk camp. Then there was one final stop at the governor’s to eat dinner and admire his collection of gazelle and exotic birds. The AU ambassadors and women in the party received souvenir mats.

Darfur has got used to hosting visitors in the six years since it became one of the world’s best known conflict zones.

North Darfur’s governor Osman Kebir told Tuesday’s trip he had welcomed about 800 delegations since July 2006 which would make about one a day, without adjustment for understandable overstatement.

One official was overheard referring to El Fasher’s “red carpet camps” where residents turn out to welcome party after party.

It was a reminder just how slick all sides to the Darfur conflict have become in selling their story to passing dignitaries — the rebels too have their spokespeople, websites and organised media tours.

Critics question the use of these Darfur day-trips, especially around El Fasher, which is a world away from the region’s remaining badlands where four groups of foreigners have been kidnapped since March.

Members of the AU group defended the visit, saying it was a symbolic gesture of concern and solidarity, adding they would pass on the points made during the 45-minute briefing in Abu Shouk to Khartoum and their headquarters in Addis Ababa.

It might have been interesting to find out what the residents of Abu Shouk themselves thought about the quick consultation.

But this journalist and a colleague were quickly brought back into line when we tried to sneak out of the police compound and walk to the edge of the actual camp.

“You can’t go there, what are you doing?” asked one of the officials with the AU group. “You might speak to the wrong people … And why are you making things more complicated for us than they already are?”

Photo: Bird in the compound of the governor of North Darfur. AU Peace and Security Council trip to North Darfur, 24/11/09. (Source: Andrew Heavens Flickr 25/11/09)



Photo: A young Sudanese child is helped with a drink of clean water at the Abu Shouk refugee camp near El Fasher, in Darfur, Sudan, in August 2004. (AFP/Jim Watson/Sudan Watch front page)



Photo: Traditional dancer with sword performs for the governor of north Darfur (second right) and chair of the African Union peace and security council (far right). (Source: Andrew Heavens Flickr 25/11/09)

ICRC: Negotiations have begun for Frenchman kidnapped on Nov 9 in Chad

The ICRC suspended its operations in eastern Chad and western Darfur following the incident.

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, Tuesday, December 1, 2009:

(Khartoum) – The International Community of the Red Cross says that negotiations have begun in order to secure the release of a staff member who was kidnapped on November 9 in Chad.

Laurent Maurice, a France national, was kidnapped by a Darfur anti-government group in eastern Chad along with two other workers from Triangle, a French humanitarian agency.

Samara al-Rufai is an information officer for the ICRC. Speaking to SRS from Khartoum, he said that the kidnappers had not yet made a ransom demand.

(Samara al-Rufai), “We are still in contact with the kidnappers. We have been calling them by phone but our man hasn’t been released yet. We are trying to resolve this issue as quickly as possible because the important thing is the security and safety of our colleagues and humanitarian staff in general. This is why we are calling for their release. We don’t know at this point what they [the kidnappers] are demanding. But we don’t believe that there should be a price to be paid to release somebody who is conducting humanitarian work for people in conflict areas. There should not be a price for that. The ICRC does not negotiate at all in terms of money.”

The ICRC suspended its operations in eastern Chad and western Darfur following the incident.

SPLM to change the way party candidates are selected

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, Tuesday, December 1, 2009:

(Wau) - The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement says it will introduce stringent standards for the selection of party candidates who wish to run for public office in the forthcoming elections.

Speaking to SRS in Wau on Tuesday, a senior SPLM official, Edward Lino, said that the party will ensure that only competent people are selected.

[Mr. Edward Lino]: “We are going to change the way candidates are selected. A candidate must come from the area and people must know him or her well. He or she should be popular and must have the capacity to serve. This is not the time to appoint a baker as a Minister for Education or a tractor driver as the Minister for Finance. The time for such things has ended! We need candidates who can work for their country. We need strong people who are capable of two basic things: one they must work to create a sense of unity among our people and two, they must follow the policy of the movement – these are the basic requirements."

Edward Lino added that he is confident that the SPLM will win a majority of the seats in most constituencies within south Sudan in the elections which are scheduled for April 2010.

Carter Centre report says voter registration in Sudan progressing satisfactorily

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, Tuesday, December 1, 2009:

(Khartoum) - The Carter Centre has issued a report which suggests that, despite logistical problems which have delayed the process, voter registration has been progressing satisfactorily since it begun on November 1st 2009.

The Carter Center was formed by in 1982 by former US president Jimmy Carter. As part of its governance program, the Center conducts election observation missions around the world.

Speaking to Sudan Radio Service by phone from Khartoum on Monday, the Carter Center field office director, Jeffrey Mapendere, has acknowledged that the 7-day extension of the registration exercise will enable more people to register for the elections scheduled for 2010.

[Jeffrey Mapendere]: “As you saw in the statement, we are saying mainly two things. Generally speaking, it has been going on well, but of course there are things to be improved. One thing that they have already done is that they have extended the period which gives most people the opportunity to register. It will also help make sure that they provide enough materials to all the states so that at least those who want to register during this period don’t face problems. There have been a few cases where people ran out of registration books and some other materials. We are urging the Electoral Commission to make sure that supplies are provided and also that the staff working on the voter registration process get their salaries. Of course we have been experiencing low registration rates in several states, mostly in the south and also the totals so far are not as high as we expected but there are some states with very high registration rates.”

In their report, which was published on November 30, the Carter Center thanked the NEC for facilitating the work of its observers.

The Carter Centre has deployed observers from 21 countries to monitor the voter registration process.