Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
South Sudan votes to secede
South Sudan votes to secede
South Sudan has voted to secede from the north after offical results from January referendum showed landslide in favour
Click for big version
Bashir said he welcomed the results of the referendum in an address on state television
South Sudan has officially voted to secede from the north after the results of a January referendum showed a landslide vote for independence.
Official figures released on Monday showed that 98.83 per cent of voters from the south chose to secede from the north.
The results, displayed at an announcement ceremony in Khartoum, revealed that out of 3,837,406 valid ballots cast, only 44,888 votes, or 1.17 per cent, favoured the status quo of unity with the north.
The event in the Sudanese capital was attended by Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's president, and Salva Kiir, the southern leader.
"Today we received these results and we accept and welcome these results because they represent the will of the southern people," al-Bashir said on state television.
"But we are committed to the links between the north and the south, and we are committed to good relations based on co-operation."
ENDS
Scoop
Scoop Independent News
Scoop is NZ's largest independent news source; respected widely in media, political, business and academic circles for being the place on the internet for publishing "what was really said", and for the quality of its analysis of issues.
Binoy Kampmark: Ironic Dependency - Russian Uranium And The US Energy Market
Binoy Kampmark: Arrest Warrants From The Hague - The ICC, Netanyahu And Gallant
Ian Powell: General Practice Visits, Emergency Department Presentations, And Social Determinants Of Health
Gordon Campbell: On The Hikoi Aftermath
Eugene Doyle: Has WWIII Started?
Binoy Kampmark: Fencing The Ocean - Australia’s Social Media Safety Bill