Sudan Clashes Halt Voter Registration

Clashes between two South Sudanese tribes have halted the ongoing voter registration process for Sudan’s first multi-party elections in over two decades.

The clashes involving the Dinka and the Shilluk tribes erupted on Thursday, killing least 11 people and wounding several others. Reports say the fighting was triggered by disputes over tribal land and left officials with no choice except to stop the voter registration exercise.

Meanwhile, the semi-autonomous South’s governing Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) has complained that the region has not been allocated money to facilitate preparations for the elections.

The SPLM and President Omar al-Bashir’s National Congress Party (NCP) signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005 after a 21 year civil war that claimed 2 million lives.

One of the milestones of the CPA will be the upcoming national elections in April 2010, followed by a 2011 referendum in which the South will decide whether to secede or remain part of a united Sudan.

Internationally efforts and crisis talks are currently underway to ensure that plans for the elections remain on course. [CK]