WASHINGTON, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- The Sudan People's Liberation Movement and the National Congress Party blame each other for low voter registration for a January referendum, officials said.
Sudan President Omar Hassan al-Bashir's National Congress Party (NCP) said Sunday low registration of southerners in the north would affect the credibility of the referendum, the Voice of America reported.
There had been allegations that the SPLM told southerners in the north not to register for the Jan. 9 vote, the VOA report said.
In fact, it is the NCP that is making it difficult for southerners in the north to register, said Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, head of the southern Sudan missions to the United Nations and the United States. He is also a member of the SPLM ruling council.
"In the SPLM leadership, we have made it clear that this referendum must be transparent, free and fair and everybody is encouraged to register because this is historic for southern Sudanese," Gatkouth said.
"Southern Sudanese in the north, what we are hearing is that registration is very slow because some of them are afraid of registering themselves because the NCP, and the leadership of the NCP, [are] even threatening that, if they are not going to vote unity, their lives will be in danger; they will not even be treated in the hospital."
"Voter registration is a critical milestone in [the process of self-determination] and we hope that it will continue unabated," a U.S. administration statement said.
"We call on northern and southern leaders to finish the work started with the voter registration process to ensure the referendum is peaceful and occurs on time, and that the will of the people of South Sudan [is] respected regardless of the outcome," the statement said.
