Khartoum, Sudan, Jan 8, 2011 / 15:17 pm
With independence very likely in south Sudan, one Sudanese bishop is looking to the future. He warns of the possibility of “humanitarian disaster” in the south and “real persecution” for Christians in the north following the upcoming election.
On Sunday there will be a referendum to create an independent state of semi-autonomous southern Sudan. World governments and experts on the region predict a landslide "yes" vote, giving autonomy to the area which has been united for more than 50 years.
The Jan. 9 - 15 vote comes five years after a landmark peace agreement ended more than 20 years of civil war in the African nation with the largest land area.
Autonomy will bring its trials, however, as Bishop Macram Max Gassis of El Obeid told Fides news agency in a Jan. 8 report.
The Diocese of El Obeid is in South Central Sudan and encompasses the Darfur region, the site of ongoing conflict and humanitarian catastrophe. Bishop Gassis’ jurisdiction borders the southern region included in the vote.