Sudan: Bishop questions fairness of election

April 16, 2010

A Sudanese bishop is questioning the fairness of the recently concluded presidential election. “The reports of irregularities make one wonder whether in the end these elections will qualify to be called ‘free and fair,’” said Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Adwok Kur of Khartoum. The election is seen as a trial run for next year’s referendum, which could lead to independence for southern Sudan.

Two million lost their lives in the long Sudanese civil war (1983-2005) between the Muslim north and the largely animist and Christian south. The civil war ended when President Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir granted the south limited autonomy. Since 2005, the nation’s five million Catholics have fallen under two sets of religion laws. In the north, all schools-- even Christian schools-- must offer instruction in Islam, and converts from Islam to Christianity face not only criminal charges but also death at the hands of their families. In the south, Christians enjoy religious freedom.

 

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Further information:

• Bishop in Sudan voices concerns over election (Aid to the Church in Need)
• Polls close today; insecure climate following kidnapping of 4 Blue Helmets in Darfur and death of 9 members of Southern government party (Fides)
• Sudan vote count begins after landmark election (BBC)