The people of south Sudan following their long struggles for nationhood where they fought deadly wars with the successive Arab and Muslim dominated governments of Khartoum are now only a few days away from casting their votes in the most awaited polls that will see them having their own independent state. But of course the way ahead is not all roses as the dominant northern National Congress Party [NCP] of president Omer al Bashir continues to litter all the negotiation avenues with hurdles. This is a typical Arab way to never openly acknowledge defeat.
Yet little by little we are beginning to hear resigning statements from some senior Islamist figures who used to be known as hard liners. If anything, it shows that the NCP is finally softening up to the huge external pressures by the international community to implement the south Sudan referendum in a timely, free, fair and transparent way.
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