Khartoum, Sudan, Apr 30, 2010 / 02:03 am
Though areas of Sudan have reported peaceful elections, a bishop in the south of the country warns that genocidal violence could begin again. The transformation of political disputes into serious conflict is now “a likely scenario,” he says.
Bishop of Tombura-Yambio Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala, commenting in a statement to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), said people’s frustrations were heightened by allegations of corruption in the April 11-15 general elections. The elections were the first multi-party poll in 25 years.
President Omar al Bashir’s National Congress Party, the incumbent party in Khartoum, was victorious in the election. Sitting Vice-President Salva Kiir and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) scored up to 90 percent in its southern heartlands.
The election was marred by reports of voter intimidation, vote-rigging, ballot mix-ups and breaches of voter privacy.