Sudan: Referendum Overshadows Internal Problems in North

Andrew Natsios, former Special Envoy to Sudan for the Bush administration, argues internal divisions and pressures in Northern Sudan are being overlooked.  He points to growing criticism of President Omar al-Bashir’s government from “Islamist and Arab nationalists” who lament the potential loss of oil resources to an independent South and fear that other rebellious regions will seek to break with the North as well.

Sudanese opposition leaders have threatened to topple Bashir’s government if their demands of political reform are not met.  Faruq Abu Issa, coordinator of the National Consensus Forces, has called on the government to hold a “national constitutional conference to create a new democratic constitution” in addition to addressing Darfur, public freedom laws and rising prices of vital commodities.  Other opposition party leaders are worried about the potential implications the referendum will have on the North’s territorial integrity and economy.