Security Council Calls for "Urgent Action" for Peaceful and Credible Referenda in Sudan

The UN Security Council has urged those involved in the 2005 peace pact that brought an end Sudan's long-running civil war to take urgent action.

They want a peaceful and credible referendum on self-determination to be held within two months.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says the referendum must be credible and transparent to guarantee that the outcome will be accepted by the Sudanese.

CRI's UN correspondent Shen Ting has more.

The call for urgent action by the Security Council comes at the start of a high-level debate on Sudan.

The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement timetabled Sudan to vote on January 9th 2011, on whether the south should secede from the rest of the country. It will also determine the final status of Abyei, an oil-rich area in the centre of the country.

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said it is a "moment of critical importance" for the Sudanese people and for the sub-region.

"To ensure that the referendum is conducted in an orderly fashion and that the Sudanese people peacefully accept the outcome, it is imperative that the process be credible and transparent, and that it reflect the aspirations of the population."

The UN is working on options for a possible augmentation of UN troops, to increase referendum and post-referendum security, as well as its capacity to verify and monitor possible cease-fire violations and to protect civilians. However, Ban Ki Moon believes the presence of UN troops may not be enough to prevent a return to war should widespread hostilities erupt.

"Only a demonstrated commitment by the parties to refrain from inflammatory statements, uphold the CPA ceasefire mechanisms and reassure the population of their willingness to work together, will succeed in maintaining peace".

Ban ki moon also stressed the "urgent" need to reach a comprehensive and inclusive settlement on the situation in Darfur, where renewed clashes are taking place between Sudanese Armed Forces and various rebel groups.

For CRI, this is Shen Ting from the UN Headquarters in New York.