South Sudanese Students and Community in Kenya Petition the NEC Over Diaspora Registration List

By Gurtong Correspondent

NAIROBI, 12 November 2009 (Gurtong) - The students, through their representatives, held a press conference with the head of GoSS Mission office in Kenya, His Excellency John Andruga Duku at his office.

The students presented their grievances concerning the latest standoff between North and South Sudan following the release of names of 10 countries by the country's Election Commission over where Sudanese in Diaspora can register as voters and take part in the poll.

The list, sent to all Sudanese diplomatic missions abroad includes Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Sultanate of Oman, Bahrain, the UK, Belgium (for all Western Europe) and USA.

The South has raised the red flag over what it sees as deliberate exclusion of the nine states that border Sudan especially Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Congo Brazzaville and the Democratic Republic of Congo which host many South Sudanese refugees.

Duku reacted to the student presentation by saying that the issue at hand is indeed a problem not only to South Sudanese but the Darfurians as well.

The exclusion of Sub-Saharan African countries from that list affects not only South Sudan, but Darfur as well. For example most people who fled Darfur took refuge in Chad and Libya”, he said.

Duku stressed that registration for elections is a right for all citizens and unless the election is intended for North Sudan only, the list presented by the NEC is “discriminatory and not acceptable”.

He lamented that the election is obviously not going to be free and fair as should be the case.

The Head of Mission added that there are a number of obstacles in the election process, including the controversial census results which were manipulated and the constituencies’ allocation that were based on those results.

He also voiced concerns with the ongoing voter registration timeline, saying the time is too short, considering that South Sudan is vast and has poor or, in some cases, non-existent infrastructure.

"I appeal to the NEC to reconsider the timeframe given for the voter registration exercise in readiness for the historic elections" he said.

The South Sudanese representative wondered why the IGAD and the AU are quite on this matter and yet the versatile situation in Sudan can greatly affect the whole continent if not put under control, considering that Sudan is the largest country in Africa.

The Ambassador of the Republic of the Sudan to Kenya His Excellency Majok Guandong who also attended the meeting said that the list has since been revised to include Sub-Saharan countries.

“As of yesterday, it was communicated that registration would take place in Kenya and Uganda. Already, a voter registration centre has been opened in Kenya for Sudanese nationals”, he said.

The head of GoSS mission, however, said that he only received that communication verbally from the Sudan embassy and that there has been no written confirmation yet, either from the Sudan Embassy or the NEC.

Most of the students studying in Kenya said they have no passports or national identification documents which are a requirement in order to qualify for registration. The same is true for most Sudanese living in Kenya as they have been living as refugees since the civil war broke out in Sudan.

The students complained that Sudan Embassy is not issuing the needed passports and even if the registration is taking place in Kenya, most of them would not qualify to register.

“I went to the Embassy with a police abstract of my lost passport and I was told that the person who deals with the passports is away and will not return till the 27th of November”, lamented a member of South Sudan Students Association in Kenya (SSAK) James Akol Mel.

Mel also added that the conditions and the list presented clearly suggest that the outcome of the election will favour the North.

In his final remarks at the press conference, Duku assured the crowd that the message will be communicated to the Government of Southern Sudan in Juba for further action.

He urged the students and the Sudanese community present at the gathering to remain calm and peaceful even in the face of the issues at hand as Kenya is hosting South Sudanese and has done so even during the struggle.