2011 South Sudanese independence referendum

The prerequisites for the referendum included a census, which was used to define how wealth and political power will be apportioned between regions. The census was the basis of a voter registration process, which was also used for the national elections in 2010, which in turn set the stage for the referendum. The census was delayed three times. Problems included disagreements between the north and south over what they are obliged to do by the Naivasha Agreement, funding difficulties and an enormous logistical challenge. In the south, unmapped minefields from the war continue to make movement difficult, while up to 5,000,000 Sudanese are nomadic. Up to 2,000,000 internally displaced persons from the south remain in camps around Khartoum, in the centre of the country, whilst refugees remain in Uganda and Kenya. A further complication results from the conflict in Darfur to the west, where civilians who have fled attacks refuse to take part in census out of fear that the government would use the results against them. Darfuri rebel groups are unanimous in their denunciation of the planned census, while the Justice and Equality Movement group has threatened to attack any census-taker.{{Cite news |last=Henshaw |first=Amber |date=2008-04-21 |title=Sudanese stand up to be counted |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7359303.stm |url-status=live |access-date=2023-04-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080422002902/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7359303.stm |archive-date=22 April 2008}}

There were disagreements between the National Congress Party (NCP) and the SPLA/M about what proportion of voters will have to be in favour of independence (the NCP wanted at least 75% support required), whether Southern Sudanese living in the north should be allowed to vote, and the post-referendum separation process (including the division of the national debt).{{cite web |last=Dak |first=James Gatdet |date=20 August 2009 |title=Sudan's NCP & SPLM fail to agree on census, referendum law |url=http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article32187 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100211191828/http://sudantribune.com/spip.php?article32187 |archive-date=11 February 2010 |access-date=5 January 2011 |work=Sudan Tribune}} Modest progress was made in early September 2010, but disagreements on fundamental points remain.{{cite web |date=3 September 2009 |title=Sudan partners make modest progress on referendum talks |url=http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article32327 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100211162617/http://sudantribune.com/spip.php?article32327 |archive-date=11 February 2010 |access-date=5 January 2011 |work=Sudan Tribune}}

It is envisaged that "popular consultations" in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, without a clear reference to referendums and/or independence, would raise concerns about the future of these regions.{{Cite news |last=Martell |first=Peter |date=2009-11-24 |title=Will Sudan's Nuba Mountains be left high and dry? |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8368189.stm |url-status=live |access-date=2023-04-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406235341/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8368189.stm |archive-date=6 April 2012}}{{Cite web |title=The Nuba Mountains - straddling the north-south divide |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-nuba-mountains-straddling-north-south-divide |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=reliefweb.int |date=12 November 2009 |language=en}}

According to the terms of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (or CPA), in October 2009, the central government of Sudan and the South Sudanese government agreed that turnout would have to be at least 60% of 3,800,000 voters would be necessary to validate. In this case, a simple majority vote in favour of independence would result in secession for South Sudan;{{Cite web |last=Abdelrahman |first=Abdellatif |date=2009-12-31 |title=Darfur NCP Civil Society groups to Where? |url=https://sudantribune.com/article33451/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091216085803/http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article33451 |archive-date=16 December 2009 |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=Sudan Tribune |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |date=2009-10-16 |title=Terms for Sudan referendum agreed |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8310928.stm |url-status=live |access-date=2023-04-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091019082930/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8310928.stm |archive-date=19 October 2009}} should the turnout be insufficient in the first referendum, a second one will be held within sixty days.{{cite web |last=Aleu |first=Philip Thon |date=21 October 2009 |title=Talks on South Sudan referendum progress in Khartoum |url=http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article32852 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100215011901/http://sudantribune.com/spip.php?article32852 |archive-date=15 February 2010 |access-date=5 January 2011 |work=Sudan Tribune}}

File:Flag of the SPLAM.svg]]

[[File:Political Regions of Sudan, July 2006.svg|thumb|

{{legend|#f7931d|Sudan proper}}

{{legend|#8cc63f|Darfur}}

{{legend|#800080|Eastern Front, area of operations July 2006}}

{{legend|#00adef|South Sudan (held referendum in 2011)}}

{{legend|#FFFF00|Abyei (referendum for 2011 postponed indefinitely)}}

{{legend|#fb6282|States to hold "popular consultations" in 2011: South Kurdufan (process suspended){{cite web |last=Martell |first=Peter |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13812579 |title=Is Sudan heading for an acrimonious divorce? |publisher=BBC |date=2011-06-20 |access-date=2014-02-10 |archive-date=17 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181217201415/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13812579 |url-status=live}} and Blue Nile (postponed indefinitely){{cite web|last=Kleto|first=Peter Oyoyo|title=Popular consultations must go ahead|url=http://www.sudantribune.com/South-Kordofan-and-Blue-Nile,40310|work=Comment and Analysis|access-date=21 October 2011|archive-date=29 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111029093854/http://www.sudantribune.com/South-Kordofan-and-Blue-Nile,40310|url-status=live}}}}]]Sudanese officials have said throughout campaigning that, regardless of their pro-unity or pro-separatist stance, the ultimate aim was a peaceful transition. Vice President Kiir acknowledged his administration had failed to deliver "the dividends of peace", and noted that a campaign to confiscate arms was a solution to maintaining stability.{{Cite magazine |last=Boswell |first=Alan |date=2010-06-05 |title=South Sudan Moves Toward Independence |language=en-US |magazine=Time |url=https://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1994209,00.html |url-status=live |access-date=2023-04-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100608134513/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1994209,00.html |archive-date=8 June 2010 |issn=0040-781X}}

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir said that the southern region had a right to choose to secede and that the referendum was helpful because unity "could not be forced by power." He also said he would respect the outcome of the vote and support the south.{{cite web |date=4 January 2011 |title=Bashir: Secession is south's right |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/1/4/bashir-secession-is-souths-right |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110107092906/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/01/20111493228318198.html |archive-date=7 January 2011 |access-date=5 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}} However, he also said that though secession was a right it may not resolve issues for the south: "The stability of the south is very important to us because any instability in the south will have an impact on the north. If there is a war in your neighbour's house, you will not be at peace. The south suffers from many problems. It's been at war since 1959. The south does not have the ability to provide for its citizens or create a state or authority."

Negotiations continue between the ruling parties in the north and south on potential post-referendum arrangements—looking at future issues such as citizenship, security, finance and wealth sharing. Minister of Petroleum Mr. Deng said he fears that an immediate budget cut for the north would ignite a war. "In order to avoid conflict, we could look to a phase-out arrangement whereby you provide the north some [oil] until they get an alternative".{{cite news |last=Hamilton |first=Rebecca |date=12 September 2010 |title=South Sudan independence vote at risk |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/12/AR2010091204286.html |url-status=live |access-date=5 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111201917/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/12/AR2010091204286.html |archive-date=11 November 2012}} The pipeline to export southern oil currently cuts through the north, and the south has not begun construction on a pipeline that would avoid that route. In an article published by The Washington Post on 21 September 2010, Deng noted that an interim agreement could help both north and south and result in a "win-win". The northern government said it would assume most of the country's $38,000,000,000 debt if secession was voted upon.{{cite web |last=Bhaskar |first=Ranjit |date=10 January 2011 |title=South Sudanese vote for second day |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/1/10/south-sudanese-vote-for-second-day |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110113065759/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/01/201111034254130514.html |archive-date=13 January 2011 |access-date=16 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}}

National campaigns were being held by both parties to address issues of potential clashes ahead of the referendum. President Al-Bashir wanted to reassure and assuage tension surrounding the issue of citizenship rights in the case of South Sudan secession. He said that even if southerners opted for secession, "the sentimental unity and social relations between north and south Sudan will remain standing." Al-Bashir vowed that the rights of southern citizens staying in the north after secession would be safeguarded, saying that his party would not allow anyone to infringe on the rights of southerners in the north, their properties, freedoms and residence regardless of citizenship.{{cite web |title=Sudan's Al-Bashir warns against "unilateral solutions" to north-south disputes |url=http://talkofsudan.com/sudan/sudans-al-bashir-warns-against-unilateral-solutions-to-north-south-disputes |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716000000/http://talkofsudan.com/sudan/sudans-al-bashir-warns-against-unilateral-solutions-to-north-south-disputes |archive-date=16 July 2011 |access-date=5 January 2011 |publisher=Sudan Tribune}} [https://sudantribune.com/article36841/ Alt URL]

The northern Justice and Peace Forum Party advocated separation of the country citing unity as a "bad forced marriage." Its chairman Al Taieb Mustafa said that the prospective support for the referendum would be "the real independence day for Sudan."{{cite web |author=Naib |first=Fatma |date=9 January 2011 |title=Bye bye Juba |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/features/2011/1/9/bye-bye-juba |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110114231953/http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/01/20111919418645607.html |archive-date=14 January 2011 |access-date=16 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}}

On 8 January, the mood in Juba, the southern capital, and the wider region was said to be jubilant with final pro-secession rallies celebrating independence in advance.{{cite web |title=Bashir warns of unstable South |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/01/2011171839053529.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120824100135/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/01/2011171839053529.html |archive-date=24 August 2012 |access-date=10 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}}

Early during the referendum process, an Egyptian proposal was made to have a confederation between the north and south of the country. However, President Omar al-Bashir said it was not being considered because the issue of the referendum was about "unity or separation. Our brothers in the south are refusing at the moment the proposal of confederation. If the separation was the result of the referendum, the two sides are going to negotiate over the future of relations between them."{{cite web |date=7 November 2010 |title=Al-Bashir troubled over Sudan vote |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/11/7/al-bashir-troubled-over-sudan-vote |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206191940/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/11/201011773355574570.html |archive-date=6 February 2011 |access-date=5 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}}

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi later went to Sudan to try to assuage the conflict, though both men had previously called for the country to stay united. Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the meeting sought to ensure the referendum could be held in a "climate of freedom, transparency, and credibility, reflecting the will of the sons of the south" and also that both the South and North could strengthen bonds.{{Cite web |title=African leaders calm tension |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/12/24/n-africa-leaders-calm-sudan-tension |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222182345/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/12/20101221133046677138.html |archive-date=22 December 2010 |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}

{{Politics of Sudan}}

Observers and key players feared violence ahead of the South Sudan referendum for a variety of reasons.

{{further|Abyei status referendum, 2011}}

File:Sudan Envoy - Lining up.jpg in Abyei, 2009]]

Talks on resolving the status and of the eligibility criteria for voters in the disputed Abyei region broke down in October 2010, although both the central ruling NCP and southern SPLM said their respective teams "will meet again in Ethiopia toward the end of October to continue their discussions. The parties continue to commit themselves to their mutual goal of avoiding a return to conflict."{{cite web |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/10/2010101214279615176.html |title=Talks on Sudan's Abyei break down |publisher=Al Jazeera |date=12 October 2010 |access-date=5 January 2011 |archive-date=31 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110131064137/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/10/2010101214279615176.html |url-status=live}}

Didiri Mohammad Ahmad, an NCP official, said it was "not possible" to hold the referendum on the future of Abyei on time, and it could be delayed for months or be settled without a vote. He added that "We agreed that in the next talks we will try to look for other alternatives."{{cite web |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/10/2010101572158985130.html |title=Sudan row over Abyei escalates |publisher=Al Jazeera |date=18 October 2010 |access-date=5 January 2011 |archive-date=31 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110131092829/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/10/2010101572158985130.html |url-status=live}}

Sudan's Defense Minister, Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein, suggested the vote may have to be postponed. "According to the reality on the ground...border issues and Abyei must be resolved within the framework of one nation because doing so in the framework of two countries open[s] the door for foreign interference. The referendum is not a goal but a tool to consolidate and promote security and stability. This [UDI] is illegal and will not be recognized by the African Union or the other [organizations] because it would contradict the peace agreement and its procedures."{{cite web |url=http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article36658 |title=Sudan says referendum may need to be postponed |work=Sudan Tribune |date=19 October 2010 |access-date=5 January 2011 |archive-date=24 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124020157/http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article36658 |url-status=live}} Sudan's UN ambassador Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman told the Security Council that "It is evident that any attempt to conduct the plebiscite before achieving an acceptable settlement between the two parties [in Abyei] will mean only a return to war."{{cite web |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/10/20101025225853195895.html |title=Sudan warns of civil war over Abyei |publisher=Al Jazeera |date=26 October 2010 |access-date=5 January 2011 |archive-date=3 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203232302/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/10/20101025225853195895.html |url-status=live}} The United States said it was working to avoid the "danger" that would follow the failure to hold the referendum.{{cite news |last=Gaouette |first=Nicole |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-26/u-s-pushes-sudanese-meetings-to-ensure-southern-referendum-avoid-violence.html |title=U.S Pushes Sudanese Meetings to Ensure Southern Referendum, Avoid Violence |publisher=Bloomberg |access-date=5 January 2011 |archive-date=31 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101031005757/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-26/u-s-pushes-sudanese-meetings-to-ensure-southern-referendum-avoid-violence.html |url-status=live}}

The government Sudan asked the UN for the printing of ballots for the referendum as diplomats and the electoral commission warned of any further delay would miss the deadline to hold the election.{{Cite web |title=South Sudan vote put in doubt |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/12/1/south-sudan-vote-put-in-doubt |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202052657/http://english.aljazeera.net//news/africa/2010/12/2010121125811629500.html |archive-date=2 December 2010 |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}

Abyei was not finalized for the vote.{{Cite web |title=Caught in Sudan's ethnic faultline |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/12/29/caught-in-sudans-ethnic-faultline |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613204054/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/12/29/caught-in-sudans-ethnic-faultline/ |archive-date=13 June 2021 |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}

Bishtina Mohammed El Salam of the Misseriya, who dominate the region along with the Dinka tribe, said he would not accept Abyei's seceding and joining the south even though the latter favored secession. "If the Dinka take this decision – to annex Abyei to the south – there will be an immediate war without any excuse. We think they should be reasonable and think about it. They should know that those who are pushing them to take that decision will not give them any back-up."{{cite web |title=Tribe warns of war over Sudan vote |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/1/3/tribe-warns-of-war-over-sudan-vote |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110105022855/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/01/201113143152881650.html |archive-date=5 January 2011 |access-date=5 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}}

File:'South is for southerners' - Flickr - Al Jazeera English.jpg

The status of the Nuba Mountains region of South Kurdufan and Blue Nile is more complex as ethnic data is less clear.

In the Blue Nile, African ethnic groups such as the Berta, Anuak and Koma are dominant in the South. The Northern part, however, has an Arab majority, although the enclave of Ingessana in Tabi Hills{{cite web|url=http://gulf2000.columbia.edu/images/maps/Sudan_Ethnic_Linguistic_sm.jpg |title=Archived copy |access-date=2011-01-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719180403/http://gulf2000.columbia.edu/images/maps/Sudan_Ethnic_Linguistic_sm.jpg |archive-date=19 July 2011}} is mostly Animist and was targeted by the northern forces during the civil war.{{cite web |url=http://www.sudanupdate.org/REPORTS/PEOPLES/ING.HTM |title=Ingessana |publisher=Sudanupdate.org |access-date=16 January 2011 |archive-date=24 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524172608/http://www.sudanupdate.org/REPORTS/PEOPLES/ING.HTM |url-status=live}} The total population stands at 832,112 according to the Election Commission.{{cite book |url=http://www.riftvalley.net/resources/file/Electoral%20Designs%20-%20Report%20on%20elections%20in%20Sudan.pdf |title=Electoral Designs – Proportionality, representation, and constituency boundaries in Sudan's 2010 elections |author=Marc Gustafson |publisher=Rift Valley Institute |editor=Emily Walmsley |year=2010 |access-date=23 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426171620/http://www.riftvalley.net/resources/file/Electoral%20Designs%20-%20Report%20on%20elections%20in%20Sudan.pdf |archive-date=26 April 2014 |url-status=dead}} During the 2010 provincial elections, the NCP won 29 out of the 48 seats, while the SPLM won 17 seats. In the National Assembly elections, the NCP won 6 out of the 10 seats, while the SPLM got 4.{{cite web|url=http://blogs.ssrc.org/sudan/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/NEC-results-updated-20-May-2010.pdf|title=NATIONAL ASSEMBLY – SEAT ALLOCATIONS|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110215003431/http://blogs.ssrc.org/sudan/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/NEC-results-updated-20-May-2010.pdf|archive-date=15 February 2011|access-date=14 January 2011}} However, the SPLM accused the NCP of fraud. The separate gubernatorial election was won by the SPLM candidate, who polled almost 5% votes more than his NCP rival.{{cite web |last=Garang |first=Ngor Arol |date=April 26, 2010 |title=SPLM lauds election of Malik Aggar as Blue Nile State Governor |url=https://sudantribune.com/article34677/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729103829/http://www.sudantribune.com/SPLM-lauds-election-of-Malik-Aggar,34893 |archive-date=29 July 2012 |access-date=16 January 2011 |work=Sudan Tribune}}

The Nuba Mountain was home to some 1,000,000 ethnic Nuba during 1980.{{cite web |url=http://www.lnsart.com/nuba_mountains.htm |title=Nuba Mountains Sudan |publisher=Lnsart.com |date=10 January 2008 |access-date=16 January 2011 |archive-date=20 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101220115138/http://lnsart.com/nuba_mountains.htm |url-status=live}} A total of 99 different tribes used to live in this region.{{cite web |url=http://www.nubasurvival.com/NAFIR/Vol%205%20No%201/6.%20Nuba%20-%20pure%20people.htm |title=Nuba: A Pure People |publisher=Nubasurvival.com |access-date=16 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526211843/http://www.nubasurvival.com/NAFIR/Vol%205%20No%201/6.%20Nuba%20-%20pure%20people.htm |archive-date=26 May 2011}} When the civil war broke out during the late 1980s, the Nuba aligned with the SPLA. The vast majority of Nuba were taken as prisoners of war and forcibly relocated to camps in North Kordofan and Khartoum. When the fighting ended, only about half the population survived. The rest either surrendered and moved north or were killed during the fighting. After the signing of the peace accord, some of the Nuba returned to the mountains, but the tribal elders refused to re-admit them into the tribes as they feared the abductees (mostly young men) were too Islamised. They were finally allowed back into the tribal fold after a 6-month re-education camp.

The SPLA controls four counties in Southern Kordofan: Lagawa, Kadugli, Rashad and Dilling.{{cite book |url=http://www.internal-displacement.org/8025708F004CE90B/(httpDocuments)/35E2E9BC8ED34C8EC1257591007E9E3F/$file/145_sudans_southern_kordofan_problem___the_next_darfur.pdf |title=SUDAN'S SOUTHERN KORDOFAN PROBLEM: THE NEXT DARFUR? |publisher=International Crisis Group |date=21 October 2008 |access-date=23 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314021322/http://www.internal-displacement.org/8025708F004CE90B/(httpDocuments)/35E2E9BC8ED34C8EC1257591007E9E3F/$file/145_sudans_southern_kordofan_problem___the_next_darfur.pdf |archive-date=14 March 2012 |url-status=dead}} In 2005, the Arab dominated West Kordofan was merged in to South Kordofan, resulting in Arabs gaining a majority in the new province.

The 2008 census reported the total population of South Kordofan at 1,406,404 (though the SPLA claims many ethnic Nuba living in remote regions were not counted). This figure includes the Abyei region and it is not known how many are Nuba, Ngok and Baggara. During the 2010 National Assembly election, the NCP won 13 out of the 17 seats, while the SPLM won 4 seats. The gubernatorial elections were postponed to 2011.

During the 2010 Presidential elections, the NCP received 69.3% of the votes in South Kordofan and 56.6% in the Blue Nile, while the SPLM received 18.5% of the votes in South Kordofan and 32.7% in the Blue Nile.{{cite web |url=http://nec.org.sd/new/new/lre/raeis.htm |title=English |publisher=Nec.org.sd |access-date=16 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717164834/http://nec.org.sd/new/new/lre/raeis.htm |archive-date=17 July 2011 |url-status=dead}}

Ahmed Harun of NCP defeated Abdelaziz al-Hilu of the SPLM in the 2011 South Kordofan Gubernatorial elections. Harun received 201,455 votes compared to Hilu's 194,955 votes. NCP won 33 seats in the legislature to SPLM's 22 seats.{{cite news|agency=Agence France-Presse |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iGzNZDJafXchewPgQQY38R-yqSsg?docId=CNG.1355312a9bc2751e551a356026815195.9b1 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130125053636/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iGzNZDJafXchewPgQQY38R-yqSsg?docId=CNG.1355312a9bc2751e551a356026815195.9b1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 January 2013 |title=Sudan state poll results 'credible': Carter Centre |date=19 May 2011 |access-date=11 July 2011}} SPLM refused to acknowledge the results, accusing the NCP of voter intimidation and electoral fraud.{{cite web |title=SPLM's Al-Hilu vows to buck result of South Kordofan's polls as killing incident stokes tension |url=https://sudantribune.com/article38523/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629033636/https://www.sudantribune.com/SPLM-s-Al-Hilu-vows-to-buck-result,38936 |archive-date=29 June 2011 |access-date=11 July 2011 |work=Sudan Tribune|date=18 May 2011}}

Religion was also expected to significantly influence the referendum.{{cite web |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/video/africa/2011/01/20111461538831470.html |title=Religion influences Sudan vote |publisher=Al Jazeera |date=4 January 2011 |access-date=5 January 2011 |archive-date=7 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110107093036/http://english.aljazeera.net/video/africa/2011/01/20111461538831470.html |url-status=live}} Christian commentators have noted that there is a "climate of chronic discrimination against Sudanese Christians and other minorities."{{cite news|last=Carnes|first=Tony|title=The Rush to Reconcile|newspaper=Christianity Today|date=5 January 2011|url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/january/11.15.html|access-date=7 January 2011|archive-date=8 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110108025850/http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/january/11.15.html|url-status=live}} For some, religion was not the issue,{{Cite web |title=Racism undermines Sudanese unity |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/12/22/racism-undermines-sudanese-unity |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223043110/http://english.aljazeera.net/video/africa/2010/12/2010122218520433724.html |archive-date=23 December 2010 |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}} while other southerners objected to alleged "Islamisation."{{cite news |date=9 July 2010 |title=6 Months Until South Sudan Votes to Secede |work=ABC News |agency=Associated Press |location=Australia |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=11124906 |url-status=dead |access-date=5 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219061128/http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=11124906 |archive-date=19 February 2011}}{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/09/15/new.york.sudan.freedom.walk/ |title=Former Sudan slave, others marching to D.C. in support of homeland |author=Biggs, Marcia |publisher=CNN |date=15 September 2010 |access-date=5 January 2011 |archive-date=9 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109051007/http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/09/15/new.york.sudan.freedom.walk/ |url-status=live}}{{cite news |author=Lavallee, Guillaume |date=9 January 2011 |title='Slaves' aim to separate from Arabs in Sudan vote |agency=Agence France-Presse |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5idGmp4BqlWHNFmghw-ut9Z3ddUWw?docId=CNG.d9c15ccdbcf1859c4040f88926083f32.3a1 |url-status=dead |access-date=9 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110118060827/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5idGmp4BqlWHNFmghw-ut9Z3ddUWw?docId=CNG.d9c15ccdbcf1859c4040f88926083f32.3a1 |archive-date=18 January 2011}}{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-sudan-election-20110110,0,890027.story |title=Southern Sudan votes on secession |author=Fleishman, Jeffrey |work=Los Angeles Times |date=10 January 2011 |access-date=10 January 2011 |archive-date=19 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110119143701/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-sudan-election-20110110,0,890027.story |url-status=live}} Some Southern Sudanese had also claimed that tribalism and racism affected their choice. South Sudanese Muslims supported secession.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYdu2qdpElw {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211014748/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYdu2qdpElw |date=11 December 2015}} South Sudan's Muslims welcome secession, Agence France-Presse

President Omar al-Bashir said dual citizenship would not be allowed. According to the CPA, 20 percent of civil service jobs were reserved for southerners, which would then be lost if the country splits.{{cite web |author=Naib |first=Fatma |date=16 January 2011 |title=Mixed feelings about Sudan's future |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/features/2011/1/16/mixed-feelings-about-sudans-future |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110118021536/http://blogs.aljazeera.net/africa/2011/01/15/mixed-feelings-about-sudans-future |archive-date=18 January 2011 |access-date=16 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}}

Questions were also asked about the status of tribes such as the Nuba and Misseriya of South Kordofan that inhabit the border regions with South Sudan.{{cite web |author= |date=17 January 2011 |title=A question of identity |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/program/crossroads-sudan/2011/1/17/a-question-of-identity |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110129025856/http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/crossroadssudan/2011/01/20111178117700490.html |archive-date=29 January 2011 |access-date=31 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}}

When questioned in a poll prior to the official referendum, 97% of South Sudanese people said that they would be voting for independence.{{cite web |title=Unabhängigkeits-Referendum im Süd-Sudan am Sonntag |url=http://de.euronews.net/2011/01/06/unabhaengigkeits-referendum-im-sued-sudan-am-sonntag |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110112180732/http://de.euronews.net/2011/01/06/unabhaengigkeits-referendum-im-sued-sudan-am-sonntag |archive-date=12 January 2011 |access-date=10 January 2011 |website=Euronews |publisher= |language=de}}

An early poll of 1,400 individuals was carried out by a coalition of civil society organisations in Southern Sudan prior to the January referendum, indicating that 97% of voters would likely vote for secession. According to John Andruga, chairman of the coalition, 100% of respondents in the states of Unity and Eastern Equatoria would vote for secession. A similar survey carried out one year prior by the US-based National Democratic Institute had indicated that 90% of voters would vote for secession.{{cite web |last=Bhaskar |first=Ranjit |date=3 January 2011 |title=Nearly 4m set for south Sudan vote |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/1/3/nearly-4m-set-for-south-sudan-vote |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712000435/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/01/20111318958753610.html |archive-date=12 July 2012 |access-date=13 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}}

Authorities in both the north and south of Sudan have been accused of harassment and intimidation against the media in order to avoid dissenting coverage. Rights groups warned the media could be slapped with further restrictions.{{cite web |author=Wander |first=Andrew |date=24 September 2010 |title=How Sudan muzzles its media |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/9/24/how-sudan-muzzles-its-media |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230101435/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/2010/09/2010922174525372943.html |archive-date=30 December 2010 |access-date=5 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}}

The Youth and Sports Minister, Haj Majid Suwar, of the National Congress Party (NCP) suggested the government "may not recognise the results" and would "talk to ... the USA and the UN and the AU and say that the Sudan People's Liberation Movement didn't fulfill the CPA Comprehensive Peace Agreement" by allowing open campaigning and the withdrawal of their soldiers from southern areas.{{cite web |date=28 September 2010 |title=Sudan ruling party warns south |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/9/28/sudan-ruling-party-warns-south |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110130233949/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/09/20109284827369586.html |archive-date=30 January 2011 |access-date=5 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}} He also said that the potential borders between them would have to be drawn up pending redeployment of the SPLM's forces to the 1956 border.

Salva Kiir, the president of the southern region and the first vice president of Sudan, said that the referendum's timing was important as there was "a risk of a return to war in case of delay or denial of this exercise, and it would be on a very massive scale."{{cite news |last=Varner |first=Bill |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-22/southern-sudan-independence-referendum-delay-might-reignite-war-kiir-says.html |title=South Sudan Independence Referendum Delay May Reignite War, President Says |publisher=Bloomberg |date=22 September 2010 |access-date=5 January 2011 |archive-date=26 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100926180017/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-22/southern-sudan-independence-referendum-delay-might-reignite-war-kiir-says.html |url-status=live}}

Kuol Deim Kuol, the spokesman for the SPLM's military, accused the NCP of "just looking for a pretext of starting a war" and called Suwar a "war monger."

Sudan's president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, accused the SPLM of breaching the terms of the peace deal and warned of a return to conflict if the disputes were not settled before the referendum. Despite that, he said he was committed to holding the referendum, but insisted on settling differences over the shared border and how to share the oil, debt and Nile river water.{{cite web |date=10 October 2010 |title=Bashir warns of new Sudan civil war |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/10/10/bashir-warns-of-new-sudan-civil-war |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110131071058/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/10/2010101091233114892.html |archive-date=31 January 2011 |access-date=5 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}}

The NCP accused the SPLM of discouraging southerners who were living in the north of the country from registering, as the SPLM threatened not to recognize the referendum if its demands were not met.{{cite web |date=22 November 2010 |title=Sudan party issues vote ultimatum |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2010/11/22/sudan-party-issues-vote-ultimatum |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203230430/http://english.aljazeera.net/video/africa/2010/11/2010112215452028282.html |archive-date=3 February 2011 |access-date=5 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}} Southerners in the North were reluctant to vote because of fears of being uprooted from their homes.{{Cite web |title=Hesitancy in Sudan referendum |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/11/30/reluctance-in-sudan-referendum |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101201045154/http://english.aljazeera.net/video/africa/2010/11/201011305019795300.html |archive-date=1 December 2010 |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}} Muslims in the border provinces of the South also expressed fear of a campaign of violence that could be unleashed as a consequence of the referendum.{{Cite web |title=South Sudan braces for trouble |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2010/11/30/south-sudan-braces-for-trouble |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101201043750/http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2010/11/20101130135113374957.html |archive-date=1 December 2010 |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}} Many feared a return to civil war, should the referendum fail because of the increasingly heated rhetoric.{{cite web |date=16 October 2010 |title=South Sudan plagued by war fears |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/10/16/south-sudan-plagued-by-war-fears |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110131064214/http://english.aljazeera.net/video/africa/2010/10/20101015185026585696.html |archive-date=31 January 2011 |access-date=5 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}} Along with Chad, Sudan sought to secure the border area ahead of the referendum.{{Cite web |title=Sudan, Chad in joint army operation |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/12/12/sudan-chad-in-joint-army-operation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101214052622/http://english.aljazeera.net/video/africa/2010/12/20101212115019143922.html |archive-date=14 December 2010 |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}

In addition to warnings of civil war, it was also read that a possible civil war could involve the Lord's Resistance Army and bring Uganda into the conflict."People and Power." Al Jazeera English. 9 January 2011.

Despite rifts amongst Southern parties, more than 20 parties ironed over their differences to put a show of unity before the referendum.{{cite web |date=18 October 2010 |title=S Sudan leaders in show of unity |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/10/18/s-sudan-leaders-in-show-of-unity |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110131070850/http://english.aljazeera.net/video/africa/2010/10/20101018112026378865.html |archive-date=31 January 2011 |access-date=5 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}} Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal also said the referendum could "reignite violence...rather than bring peace," while he said the vote must be "fair and free."{{cite web |date=15 December 2010 |title=Saudi FM Warns Sudan Referendum Could Lead to More Violence |url=https://archive.almanar.com.lb/english/article.php?id=245 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101113051447/http://www.almanar.com.lb/newssite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=161250&language=en |archive-date=13 November 2010 |access-date=5 January 2011 |publisher=Al-ManarTV}}

The United States extended sanctions against Sudan on 1 November 2010 in order to pressure the government to stick to the referendum deadline.{{cite web |date=1 November 2010 |title=Obama renews Sudan sanctions |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/11/1/obama-renews-sudan-sanctions |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205010347/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/11/2010111191135816881.html |archive-date=5 February 2011 |access-date=5 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}} The US then offered to drop Sudan from a US list of state-sponsors of terrorism if the two referendums were held on time and the results were respected.{{cite web |date=8 November 2010 |title=US offers Sudan 'terror list' deal |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/11/8/us-offers-sudan-terror-list-deal |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203232323/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/11/2010117235958260318.html |archive-date=3 February 2011 |access-date=5 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}} They again partook in a statement before the referendum in lauding al-Bashir's statement to respect the vote.{{cite web |last=Naib |first=Fatma |date=5 January 2011 |title=US hails Bashir's Sudan comments |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/1/5/us-hails-bashirs-sudan-comments |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110109022504/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/01/20111515304362320.html |archive-date=9 January 2011 |access-date=10 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}}

Following concerns from the UN about delays, representatives of both regions affirmed a commitment to hold the referendum on time;{{cite web |date=17 November 2010 |title=Sudan rivals vow to hold poll |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/11/17/sudan-rivals-vow-to-hold-poll |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110130233844/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/11/201011176740479144.html |archive-date=30 January 2011 |access-date=5 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}} a media campaign was also launched to raise awareness and increase the turnout.{{cite web |date=3 November 2010 |title=Media campaign under way in Sudan |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2010/11/3/media-campaign-under-way-in-sudan |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206071122/http://english.aljazeera.net/video/africa/2010/11/201011384022893153.html |archive-date=6 February 2011 |access-date=5 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}}

Minni Minnawi, the only Sudan Liberation Army faction signatory to the Darfur Peace Agreement, quit the agreement and resigned his post as Special Advisor to the President, saying the deal had failed. He consequently moved to Juba in the south saying the referendum would be successful as southerners "reject the policy of this [Khartoum] government" and the north would then be a "failed state." In return, the government declared Minnawi an "enemy" and closed his Khartoum office.{{Cite web |title=Darfur leader threatens fight |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/12/13/darfur-leader-ready-to-do-battle |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215202035/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/12/2010121364520272117.html |archive-date=15 December 2010 |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}

In December 2010, the Constitutional Court agreed to carry out an investigation into a petition filed by local lawyers seeking the dissolution of the electoral body that was organizing the referendum.{{Cite news |last=McDoom |first=Opheera |date=2010-12-14 |title=Sudan's highest court to probe vote complaints |language=en |work=Reuters |editor-last=Pearce |editor-first=Tim |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/oukwd-uk-sudan-referendum-court-idAFTRE6BD55120101214 |access-date=2023-04-19}}

Despite calls from the government in southern Sudan that northerners living in the south should be protected, some northerners who were uncertain of their future in an independent state started heading north.{{cite web |date=10 January 2011 |title=Some north Sudanese flee South |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/1/10/some-north-sudanese-flee-south |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110113072745/http://english.aljazeera.net/video/africa/2011/01/201111061519422957.html |archive-date=13 January 2011 |access-date=16 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}}

Two days prior to the vote, David Yau Yau's militia and the SPLA clashed outside Pibor.{{cite news |url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201212260784.html |title=South Sudan: Army in Talks With Jonglei Rebels |date=24 December 2012 |newspaper=Sudan Tribune |via=AllAfrica.com}}

Questions were asked if a positive vote on the referendum would set a precedent for other secessionist movements on the African continent. An Al Jazeera English analysis said a few reasons for seeking secession were: a lack of expertise by post-colonial political elites in governing their respective countries and managing natural resources; the impact of the Cold War where many African countries took sides, rendering sovereignty ineffective; tribal prejudices and preferential service that dominate African politics; failure of governments to provide basic freedoms such as guaranteeing full citizenship for all.

Citing these examples, it asked where such a precedent for secession could lead: East Sudan and Darfur, Nigeria or South Africa. As two important members of the African Union the latter two could be reluctant to support a new independent southern Sudan as a recognition thereof could "send a very clear message to these groups in their struggle for autonomy."{{cite web |author=Fakude |first=Thembisa |date=7 November 2010 |title=A lesson for Africa? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/11/7/a-lesson-for-africa |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101231050112/http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/2010/11/20101161492456436.html |archive-date=31 December 2010 |access-date=5 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}}

{{Expand section|date=January 2011}}

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and former Tanzanian Prime Minister Joseph Warioba led the Carter Center international observation delegation.{{cite web |author= |date=3 January 2011 |title=Carter and Kofi Annan – Referendum on Self-Determination of Southern Sudan |url=http://www.cartercenter.org/news/pr/sudan-010311.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110209112750/http://www.cartercenter.org/news/pr/sudan-010311.html |archive-date=9 February 2011 |access-date=31 January 2011 |publisher=Cartercenter.org}} US Senator John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, visited Southern Sudan three times during the referendum period, including during polling.{{cite news |last=Stockman |first=Farah |date=10 January 2011 |title=Kerry hails peaceful independence vote in southern Sudan |work=Boston Globe |url=https://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2011/01/10/kerry_hails_peaceful_independence_vote_in_southern_sudan |url-status=dead |access-date=31 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910024058/http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2011/01/10/kerry_hails_peaceful_independence_vote_in_southern_sudan/ |archive-date=10 September 2012}} Actor George Clooney, who is supporting the Satellite Sentinel Project{{cite web |title=Front page | Satellite Sentinel Project |url=http://www.satsentinel.org/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110131223158/http://www.satsentinel.org/ |archive-date=31 January 2011 |access-date=31 January 2011 |publisher=Satsentinel.org}} (using satellites as a conflict early warning system for Sudan), also made visits to Sudan during the referendum period. Several major regional organisations deployed international observers, including the African Union,{{cite web |url=http://www.au.int/en/content/arrival-statement-african-union-observer-mission-southern-sudan-referendum |title=Arrival Statement of the African Union Observer Mission to the Southern Sudan Referendum. | African Union |publisher=Au.int |access-date=31 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722091847/http://www.au.int/en/content/arrival-statement-african-union-observer-mission-southern-sudan-referendum |archive-date=22 July 2011}} the European Union,{{cite web |url=http://www.eueom.eu/sudan2011/home |title=EU Election Observation Mission to Sudan 2011 – EU EOM Sudan 2011 – Election Observation – European Commission |publisher=Eueom.eu |access-date=31 January 2011 |archive-date=18 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718103849/http://www.eueom.eu/sudan2011/home |url-status=live}} the League of Arab States and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).{{cite web |url=http://igad.int/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=280:referendum-of-southern-sudan-observation-mission&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=150 |title=Southern Sudan Observation Mission |publisher=Igad.int |date=5 January 2011 |access-date=31 January 2011 |archive-date=8 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110308013450/http://igad.int/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=280:referendum-of-southern-sudan-observation-mission&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=150 |url-status=live}} These organisations issued a joint press statement on the first day of polling.{{cite press release |url=http://www.africa-union.org/root/ar/index/Joint%20Press%20Release%20Jan%209%20FINAL.pdf |title=Joint Press Release |publisher=African Union, Carter Center, European Union, League of Arab States |date=9 January 2011 |access-date=23 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110919170807/http://www.africa-union.org/root/ar/index/Joint%20Press%20Release%20Jan%209%20FINAL.pdf |archive-date=19 September 2011}}

Domestic observation organisations also deployed Sudanese men and women to observe the process, these included the Sudanese Network for Democratic Elections (SuNDE),{{cite web |url=http://www.democracysudan.org/ |title=Sudanese Network for Democratic Elections |publisher=Democracysudan.org |date=20 January 2011 |access-date=31 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204123415/http://www.democracysudan.org/ |archive-date=4 December 2010 |url-status=dead}} the Sudan Domestic Elections Monitoring Programme (SuDEMOP){{cite web |url=http://www.undp-sssr.org/images/sudemopbrochure.pdf |title=undp-sssr.org |publisher=undp-sssr.org |access-date=6 December 2011}} {{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}} and the Sudanese Group for Democracy and Elections (SuGDE). Other{{which|date=January 2011}} national civil society organisations were also accredited as observers.

Normally, the UN does not deploy electoral observers, however, in response to a request from the parties of the CPA, the United Nations Secretary-General's Panel on the Referenda in Sudan was established.{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/sgsm13123.doc.htm |title=Secretary-General Appoints Panel to Monitor Self-Determination Referenda in Sudan |publisher=United Nations |date=21 September 2010 |access-date=31 January 2011 |archive-date=3 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503034945/http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/sgsm13123.doc.htm |url-status=live}} The panel is composed of three senior officials, former Tanzania President Benjamin Mkapa, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal António Monteiro, and Bhojraj Pokharel, a former Chairman of the Election Commission of Nepal, who are appointed by and report to the UN Secretary-General. The panel made periodic visits to Sudan during the referendum period and is supported by field reporting officers and stakeholder-observer liaison officers.

Registration for the vote started on 15 November with Salva Kiir's appeal for registering en masse. Many of those who fled South Sudan during the civil war returned in the months and weeks leading up to the referendum, with some southern politicians trying to have them play a role in swinging the vote towards independence.{{cite web |date=25 October 2010 |title=Braving odds for South Sudan vote |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/10/25/braving-odds-for-south-sudan-vote |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206191954/http://english.aljazeera.net/video/africa/2010/10/20101019171525461780.html |archive-date=6 February 2011 |access-date=5 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}}{{cite web |date=4 January 2011 |title=Southern Sudanese return home |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/1/3/southern-sudanese-return-home |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110109052418/http://english.aljazeera.net/video/africa/2011/01/201113113026611191.html |archive-date=9 January 2011 |access-date=5 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}} Almost four million citizens registered before the deadline on 5 December; as the stream of returnees continued unabated, however, many arrived too late to register for the referendum.{{Cite web |title=Registration starts for Sudan vote |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/11/15/registration-starts-for-sudan-vote |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103213057/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2010/11/2010111513340303230.html |archive-date=3 November 2012 |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}{{cite web |date=6 January 2011 |title=South Sudan's lost voters |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/1/6/south-sudans-lost-voters |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110110183708/http://english.aljazeera.net/video/africa/2011/01/201116101519232730.html |archive-date=10 January 2011 |access-date=10 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}}

File:Southern Sudanese independence referendum voting form 2011.svg

Voting on the referendum began on 9 January 2011. On 12 January, after three days of voting, representatives of the SPLA/M announced that, according to their estimates, the 60 percent turnout threshold required for the referendum's validity (corresponding to around 2.3 million voters) had been reached. Official confirmation came later the same day when the referendum commission released a statement announcing that turnout would "exceed" the required 60 percent threshold.{{cite news |date=12 January 2011 |title=Official: South Sudan Voter Turnout to Reach 60 Percent Threshold |work=VOA News |agency= |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/south-sudan-vote-passes-60-percent-participation--113343384/133420.html |url-status=live |access-date=13 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110115003738/http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/South-Sudan-Vote-Passes-60-Percent-Participation--113343384.html |archive-date=15 January 2011}} Jimmy Carter expressed his belief on 13 January that the referendum would likely meet international standards for both the conduct of the vote and freedom of voters.{{cite news |date=13 January 2011 |title=Carter: South Sudan Vote Will Meet International Standards |work=VOA News |agency= |url=https://www.voanews.com/amp/carter-south-sudan-vote-will-meet-intl-standards-113456214/157214.html |url-status=live |access-date=13 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110115012400/http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/east/Carter-South-Sudan-Vote-Will-Meet-Intl-Standards-113456214.html |archive-date=15 January 2011}} The United Nations reported that preliminary results would be expected by 2 February 2011, with final results expected within the following two weeks.{{cite web |last=Straziuso |first=Jason |date=12 January 2011 |title=Turnout in Southern Sudan vote passes 60 percent |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110112/ap_on_re_af/af_southern_sudan_referendum |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110116032710/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110112/ap_on_re_af/af_southern_sudan_referendum |archive-date=16 January 2011 |access-date=16 January 2011 |publisher=Yahoo! News}}

According to preliminary counts reviewed by the Associated Press, consisting of 30,000 ballots in 10 polling stations, the sample had a 95% turnout with 96% in favour of secession, 3% in favour of unity{{Cite web |last=Fick |first=Maggie |date=2011-01-16 |title=S.Sudan early returns show big vote for secession |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-ssudan-early-returns-show-big-vote-for-secession-2011jan15-story.html |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=San Diego Union-Tribune |language=en-US}} and the rest invalid. Mohamed Ibrahim Khalil, chairman of the referendum commission, said 83 percent of eligible voters in the south and 53 percent in the north had voted.{{cite web |title=Sudan vote trend points at split |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/1/16/sudan-vote-trend-points-at-split |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110309175625/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/01/2011116101436101586.html |archive-date=9 March 2011 |access-date=16 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}} The South Sudan Referendum Commission affirmed the validity of the vote, however the vote was still ongoing at the time.{{cite web |date=26 January 2011 |title=US Vice President Lands in Afghanistan in Surprise Visit |url=http://www.almanar.com.lb/newssite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=169520&language=en |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130218220956/http://www.almanar.com.lb/newssite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=169520&language=en |archive-date=18 February 2013 |access-date=31 January 2011 |publisher=Almanar.com.lb}}

As voting ended, Sudan again vowed to recognise the result.{{cite web|url=http://www.almanar.com.lb/newssite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=170242&language=en |title=Al-ManarTV:: South Sudan Referendum Wraps up, Khartoum Vows to Recognize Results 15/01/2011 |publisher=Almanar.com.lb |date=15 January 2011 |access-date=31 January 2011}} {{dead link|date=January 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

{{Referendum results

| option1 = Separation | o1votes = 3792518

| option2 = Unity | o2votes = 44888

| invalid = 8366

| blank = 6222

| electorate = 3947676

| source=Southern Sudan Referendum Commission{{cite web |url=http://southernsudan2011.com/sites/default/files/Final_Results_Report_20110206_1512.pdf |title=Southern Sudan Referendum Final Results Report|website=Southern Sudan Referendum Commission and Southern Sudan Referendum Bureau |date=30 January 2011 |access-date=2 February 2011 |archive-date=17 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317033415/http://southernsudan2011.com/sites/default/files/Final_Results_Report_20110206_1512.pdf |url-status=dead}}

}}

Southerners living in Darfur were given the opportunity to vote in the referendum from special polling stations as some tribes advocated unity and others supported separation with possible ominous precedence for Darfur itself.{{cite web |author=al-Saleh |first=Omar |date=9 January 2011 |title=Mixed feelings in Darfur |url=http://blogs.aljazeera.net/africa/2011/01/09/mixed-feelings-darfur |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110115191237/http://blogs.aljazeera.net/africa/2011/01/09/mixed-feelings-darfur |archive-date=15 January 2011 |access-date=16 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}} Polling stations were also set up in eight countries with large South Sudanese populations, namely Australia, Canada, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, the United Kingdom and the United States. In the United States, where an estimated 25,000 to 50,000 South Sudanese nationals reside, polling booths were opened in eight states: Virginia, Massachusetts, Illinois, Texas, Tennessee, Nebraska, Arizona and Washington.{{cite web |author=Terrett |first=John |date=10 January 2011 |title=Sudan vote in USA |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2011/1/10/sudan-vote-in-usa |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110112141344/http://blogs.aljazeera.net/americas/2011/01/10/sudan-vote-usa |archive-date=12 January 2011 |access-date=16 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}} Similar polling booths were set up in the Canadian cities of Calgary and Toronto, to cater to the South Sudanese community there; an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 Sudanese{{Clarify|date=January 2011}} live in Canada, about 2,200 of whom had registered to vote in either of the two cities.{{cite news |author=Babin |first=Tom |date=9 January 2011 |title=Some Sudanese-Canadians boycott referendum over fears of bias |newspaper=Calgary Herald |agency=Postmedia News |url=https://montrealgazette.com/news/world/Some+Sudanese+Canadians+boycott+referendum+over+fears+bias/4082370/story.html |url-status=dead |access-date=10 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110113101523/http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/world/Some+Sudanese+Canadians+boycott+referendum+over+fears+bias/4082370/story.html |archive-date=13 January 2011}}

Members of the South Sudanese diaspora have been split as to their support for or against separation; members of some tribes advocate unity, while members of other tribes supported separation. Some Canadian Sudanese have called for a boycott of the referendum, accusing the International Organization for Migration, which was tasked with operating the vote in that country, of "being influenced by the government in Khartoum." Calgary-based journalist Mading Ngor of The New Sudan Vision dismissed these claims as "a conspiracy theory," adding "It's a very fragmented community here along tribal lines." Although over 99% of those in the South voted for independence, 42% of those who lived in the north at the time voted for unity.{{cite news |author=Karimi |first=Faith |date=22 January 2011 |title=Report: Vote for South Sudan independence nearly unanimous |publisher=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/01/22/sudan.referendum.results/index.html?_s=PM:WORLD |url-status=live |access-date=2 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006193459/http://articles.cnn.com/2011-01-22/world/sudan.referendum.results_1_preliminary-results-official-results-election-officials?_s=PM:WORLD |archive-date=6 October 2012}}

Several days before voting began, the SPLA/M and a rebel faction led by Lieutenant General George Athor in Jonglei State agreed to a ceasefire agreement after nearly a year of fighting, meaning a halt to military operations, troop movement and recruitment by either side. The agreement was seen as important for a "peaceful voting environment".{{cite web |last=Mutasa |first=Haru |date=6 January 2011 |title=Sudan's SPLA signs pact with rebels |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/video/africa/2011/01/2011168020395407.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110110161540/http://english.aljazeera.net/video/africa/2011/01/2011168020395407.html |archive-date=10 January 2011 |access-date=10 January 2011 |website=Al Jazeera |publisher=}}

The day before voting began, at least six people were killed in clashes between South Sudan security forces and a pro-Khartoum Sudan militia in Unity state. One person was also killed in clashes between the Misseriya tribe and police in Abyei. The SPLA/M said the fighting started a day earlier because of the Misseriya.{{cite web |title=Deadly clashes ahead of Sudan vote |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/1/8/deadly-clashes-ahead-of-sudan-vote |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110110010153/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/01/20111813935854947.html |archive-date=10 January 2011 |access-date=10 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}} One day into the vote, on 10 January, a further 6 people were killed in clashes near Abyei, bringing the total to 30 dead in that region.{{Cite news |last=Copnall |first=James |date=10 January 2011 |title=Clashes during south Sudan referendum |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-africa-12158129 |access-date=2023-04-19}}

File:John Kerry, US senator - Flickr - Al Jazeera English.jpg said that the referendum represented a "new chapter" for Sudan.]]

;Domestic

As of 15 January, Radio France Internationale reported that the Sudanese central government in Khartoum had begun to recall ambassadors named by the SPLA as part of the CPA and had stopped shipping material for passports to Juba.{{Cite web |last=O'Kadameri |first=Billie |date=2011-01-13 |title=Southern government reacts to Khartoum "provocation" |url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20110113-southern-government-reacts-khartoum-provocation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110123064621/http://www.english.rfi.fr/africa/20110113-southern-government-reacts-khartoum-provocation |archive-date=23 January 2011 |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=RFI |language=en}} Sudan also became the first state to recognize South Sudan.

; International

President of the United States Barack Obama said the result of the vote was "inspiring" as voters decided "their own future [and marked] another step forward in Africa's long journey toward justice and democracy". He also said that the United States would recognize South Sudan's independence when it is formalized in July.

Salva Kiir met the leaders of the Polisario Front Mohamed Abdelaziz at an African Union summit. Abdel-Aziz congratulated Kiir for on a successful referendum process. He lauded "the wisdom and courage" of people of South Sudan people for a peaceful resolution of the conflict and expressed his hope that post-referendum arrangements and agreements could be finishing in the interim period before statehood. He also briefed Kiir of the Western Sahara's process to a similar referendum.{{cite web |title=Southern Sudan leader meets with Polisario Front chief: report |url=https://sudantribune-com.webpkgcache.com/doc/-/s/sudantribune.com/article37495/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629061434/http://www.sudantribune.com/Southern-Sudan-leader-meets-with,37838 |archive-date=29 June 2011 |access-date=11 July 2011 |work=Sudan Tribune|date=February 2011}}

The precedence of the vote was seen as important because most African states' borders were decided during colonial times which resulted in a heterogeneous mix of religions, ethnicities, and cultures. The Organisation of African Unity, however, refrained from redrawing boundaries for the fear that wars of secession could be sparked.{{cite web |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2011/0209/Sudan-after-the-referendum-a-test-case-for-Africa |title=Sudan after the referendum: a test case for Africa |work=The Christian Science Monitor |date=9 February 2011 |access-date=11 July 2011 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304024119/http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2011/0209/Sudan-after-the-referendum-a-test-case-for-Africa |url-status=live}}

{{Expand section|date=July 2011}}

New names for an independent country were being suggested, with South Sudan being controversial as it does not offer a break from Sudan.{{cite web |last=Mutasa |first=Haru |date=23 January 2011 |title=Southern Sudanese debate new name |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/1/23/southern-sudanese-debate-new-name |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110131080752/http://english.aljazeera.net/video/africa/2011/01/2011123125023126139.html |archive-date=31 January 2011 |access-date=31 January 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}} Over 12 names had been suggested, including: Nile Republic, Jubian Republic, Kush Republic and Azania.{{cite news |last=Kron |first=Josh |date=24 January 2011 |title=Southern Sudan Nears a Decision on One Matter: Its New Name |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/24/world/africa/24sudan.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=6 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906191623/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/24/world/africa/24sudan.html |archive-date=6 September 2017}}

The SPLM proposed naming the country South Sudan, with Nile Republic, Jubian Republic, Kush Republic as other possibilities.{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12478957 | work=BBC News | title=South Sudan chosen as name for new country | date=16 February 2011 | access-date=20 June 2018 | archive-date=31 December 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231055504/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12478957 | url-status=live}} The country was then officially named the Republic of South Sudan.

Amongst the issues to be handled by a new government are job creation.{{cite web |date=26 February 2011 |title=South Sudan's big challenge |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/2/26/south-sudans-big-challenge |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629083624/http://english.aljazeera.net/video/africa/2011/02/201122695029186725.html |archive-date=29 June 2011 |access-date=11 July 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}}

The Minister of Cooperatives and Rural Development Jimmy Lemi Milla was shot dead in his office along with his bodyguard in an apparent personal feud.{{cite web |date=9 February 2011 |title=South Sudan minister shot dead |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/2/9/south-sudan-minister-shot-dead |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629023222/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/02/201129133511388343.html |archive-date=29 June 2011 |access-date=11 July 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera}}

• 1999 East Timorese independence referendum
• 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{{Commons category}}

• [http://www.ugpulse.com/articles/daily/People.asp?about=Republic+of+South+Sudan%3A+Challenges+and+Opportunities+-+Part+1&ID=1213 Republic of South Sudan: Challenges and Opportunities]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110111070051/http://www.ssrc.sd/SSRC2/ Southern Sudan Referendum Commission]
• [http://www.southernsudan2011.com/ Southern Sudan Referendum Results website (SSRC and SSRB)]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110202090652/http://www.undp-sssr.org/ UNDP Support to the Southern Sudan Referendum]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110110212656/http://www.usaid.gov/locations/sub-saharan_africa/countries/sudan/referenda2011.html USAID Support to the Southern Sudan Referendum]
• [http://www.sudanvotes.com Media in Cooperation and Transition] a – group of Sudanese journalists covering the referendum.
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110108094558/http://www.sudanvotemonitor.com/ Sudan Vote Monitor]{{Dubious|date=January 2011}} – Sudan Vote Monitor is a collaboration of several Sudanese civil society organisations for independent monitoring of elections
• [http://www.gurtong.net/SudanReferendum/tabid/440/Default.aspx Sudan Referendum] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190809051458/http://www.gurtong.net/SudanReferendum/tabid/440/Default.aspx |date=9 August 2019}} at Gurtong
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110216102710/http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/spotlight/stateofsudan/ Sudan: One Country or Two?] collected news and commentary at Aljazeera English
• [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12070034 South Sudan Referendum] collected news and commentary at BBC News
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110126125446/http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=91363 Sudan's Referendum] at IRIN News
• [http://www.democracynow.org/2011/1/4/sudan_referendum_a_real_turning_point Sudan Referendum: "A Real Turning Point for the People of Africa"] – video report by Democracy Now!
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110128022532/http://www.usaid.gov/locations/sub-saharan_africa/features/vote_photo_essay.html Photo Gallery by USAID]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110312115527/http://www.life.com/image/first/in-gallery/54171/sudan-ready-to-vote#index/0 Sudan: Ready to Vote ] – slideshow by Life magazine

{{South Sudanese elections}}

Independence

South Sudan

South Sudan

South Sudan

Category:Referendums in South Sudan

Category:Referendums in Sudan

Category:Separatism in Sudan

South Sudan

Category:South Sudan–Sudan relations