South Sudan: One-Sided Vote in Disputed District

Residents of the disputed district of Abyei voted overwhelmingly in favor of joining South Sudan^[1], according to results announced by the referendum’s organizers on Thursday. Zachariah Deng Majok of the Abyei Referendum High Committee said that 99.9 percent of those who had voted wanted to be part of South Sudan. But the nonbinding referendum was not recognized by the governments of Sudan^[2] and South Sudan or by the African Union^[3]. Both Sudan and South Sudan claim ownership of oil-rich Abyei, and the region is shared uneasily by two ethnic groups: the more-settled Ngok Dinka and the nomadic Misseriya. The Ngok Dinka, allied with South Sudan, took part in the referendum, but the Misseriya, who are close to Sudan’s government, did not. President Omar Hassan al-Bashir^[4] of Sudan has said he will work with his South Sudanese counterpart, Salva Kiir, to resolve the Abyei dispute.

References

1. ^{^} More articles about South Sudan. (topics.nytimes.com)
2. ^{^} More news and information about Sudan. (topics.nytimes.com)
3. ^{^} More articles about African Union (topics.nytimes.com)
4. ^{^} More articles about Omar Hassan Al- Bashir. (topics.nytimes.com)