GENEVA, Switzerland, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- Sudan is nowhere near ready to have a referendum on possible self-determination for the south, a human rights expert told the United Nations.
A peace accord brokered in 2005 by U.S. President George W. Bush called for a five-year period of autonomy for South Sudan followed by a referendum for self-determination.
Mohamed Chande Othman, a Tanzanian judge and independent expert on human rights in Sudan, said the human rights situation in the region was undermining political progress, the U.N. news agency reports.
The referendum would give Sudanese voters in the south the right to decide if they wanted to break away from their northern counterparts. Reports last week said, however, that preparations for the referendum are well behind schedule and many fear a failed election would rekindle a decades-long conflict in the country.
Othman said time was running out for Sudan and registration must start as soon as possible for the January vote. Determining who can take part in the election is also needed to avoid post-referendum violence.
U.S. President Barack Obama is to meet with Sudanese officials at the U.N. General Assembly session this week to push the referendum process forward.
The referendum is scheduled for Jan. 10.
