Sudanese and Canadian church support historic South Sudan self-determination referendum on January 9, 2011


South Sudan will hold an historic self-determination referendum on January 9, 2011 called for in the historic 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement ending the North-South civil war in Sudan.  A Sudanese ecumenical delegation lead by the Sudan Council of Churches, a KAIROS-funded partner, visited United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, and the White House in October and stated that “the people of southern Sudan expect to fulfill their right of self-determination on 9th January 2011. Denial of this right, for whatever reason, represents a fundamental denial of their human dignity. Unity has not been made attractive and the causes of almost five decades of civil war have not been addressed and cannot be papered over. People in the south see the referendum as their opportunity to choose freedom. Cancellation or postponement of the referendum, or a perception that the referendum outcome does not match the will of the people, will not be understood by the people and will create a dangerous vacuum which could be filled by violence and even a return to war [see full statement].”

On October 26th, John Lewis and Jim Davis of KAIROS gave related testimony before the parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development in on Parliament Hill on both ways in which the Canadian government could more rigorously engaged in monitoring and peacebuilding during and after the referendum, including application of United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security celebrating its 10th anniversary, and the critical importance of the Sudanese Church in its prophetic role of speaking for the aspirations of the voiceless at such crucial times.

For more information contact:

John Lewis, International Human Rights Coordinator, jlewis@kairoscanada.org, 416-463-5312 ext. 224, or

Jim Davis, Africa Partnership Program Coordinator, jdavis@kairoscanada.org, 416-463-5312 ext. 238

Toll free 1-877-403-8933


Filed in: Africa

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