Our man in the Sudan?

[Rex]

The people of Southern Sudan have been voting in a referendum on whether to split from the North and become a separate country. According to the press report below, the person running the referendum in the state of Western Equatoria is one "Forojalla Sibrino". I suspect this refers to Sibrino Barnaba Forojalla (Lamb B 1968-70), last heard of as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Juba, the capital of Southern Sudan:

http://www.sudantribune.com/Referendum- ... d-in,37441

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

CH gets everywhere !

In our church there was an ex- medical Missionary -- Dr Jim West -- recently deceased.
He and I worked out that we were in the Sudan at the same time, although we never met.

This was strange --- since we were only 1000 miles apart !!!

Sudan is Africa's largest (At the moment ) Country ---- and is wonderful !

[Jason Benham]

That's really interesting Rex, as I (Maine B/A 1987-1994 formerly Jason Brown) was in southern Sudan at the time covering the referendum for Reuters. I remember speaking with Forojalla on the phone trying to find out how many voters in Western Equatoria had chosen secession and how many for unity.
And I agree with you Neill, Sudan is wonderful.

22:18 30Jan11 -UPDATE 6-South Sudan votes 99 percent to separate from north
* First official announcement confirms early reports
* Southern leader hails Sudan's president as "champion"
* Independence to take effect on July 9

(Updates with overall figures)
By Jason Benham and Jeremy Clarke
JUBA, Sudan, Jan 30 (Reuters) - South Sudan almost unanimously voted to declare independence from the north in a referendum, officials said on Sunday, sparking mass celebrations in the southern capital Juba.
Thousands cheered, danced and ululated after officials announced the first official preliminary results which overall showed a 98.83 percent majority for separation, according to the vote's website.
"This is what we voted for, so that people can be free in their own country ... I say congratulations a million times," south Sudan President Salva Kiir told the crowd.
The vote was promised in a 2005 peace deal which ended decades of north-south conflict, Africa's longest civil war, which cost an estimated 2 million lives.
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TAKE-A-LOOK-Sudan-Referendum [nLDE70708L]
INTERACTIVE FACTBOX http://link.reuters.com/cew55r
Referendum graphic http://link.reuters.com/sun74r
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Kiir, the head of the former southern rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), praised his former foe, Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, for agreeing to the 2005 accord.
"Omar al-Bashir took the bold decision to bring peace. Bashir is a champion and we must stand with him," said Kiir, speaking in a mixture of English and the local Arabic dialect.
"The project has not finished ... We cannot declare independence today," he added.
According to the terms of the accord, south Sudan will be able to declare independence on July 9, pending any legal challenges to the results.

UNRESOLVED ISSUES
Northern and southern leaders still have to agree on their shared border, how they will split oil revenues after secession and the ownership of the disputed Abyei region.
"I am so happy. Imagine having schools, no fear, no war. Imagine feeling like any other people in their own country," student Santino Anei, 19, told Reuters.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the peaceful vote but told an African Union summit in Addis Ababa he was still concerned about the unresolved issues.
Washington's Sudan envoy Scott Gration told Reuters at the summit the "tough part" of the peace deal was still to come.
"These issues, whether it be borders or citizenship or oil revenues, cannot be solved unless there is an effort (by north and south) to work together in a partnership," he said.
Secession campaigners described the vote as a chance to end years of perceived northern exploitation. Bashir, who campaigned for unity, later announced he would accept a separation vote.
Chan Reek Madut, the deputy head of the referendum commission, told the crowd 99.57 percent of voters in the 10 states of south Sudan voted for independence.
Commission spokesman George Makuer said the 98.83 percent figure published on the website included votes from southerners in north Sudan and eight other countries.
Makuer said the final figure was still subject to a final tally and last minute legal challenges. "But it will not change, maybe by a few decimal points."
Overall, the website showed almost 3.8 million votes for separation and 44,888 votes for continued unity. Final results are due out in early February.
(Additional reporting by Richard Lough and Aaron Maasho in Addis Ababa; Writing by Andrew Heavens; editing by Michael Roddy)
((Khartoum newsroom; Tel: +249 910 641393; andrew.heavens@thomsonreuters.com))
Keywords: SUDAN REFERENDUM/


Sunday, 30 January 2011 22:18:24RTRS [nHEA026931] {C}ENDS

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

A brilliant -- althpugh expected-- result !

Perhaps we should explain, to the uninitiated, what ululation is ------
an expression of joy, common throughout Africa, where the women, trill their voices in a high range.

I don't know, but does the name derive from the uvula which wobbles at the back of the throat ?