Sudan: South Chooses Independence by Landslide - Report

D. Hakes/Carter Center Photos
Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan talks with a woman after she voted.
20 January 2011
allAfrica.com

Southern Sudanese voters have opted for independence from Khartoum by a landslide, according to preliminary figures collected by the news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The agency reported from Juba on Thursday that statistics it had gathered from state and county referendum officials indicated that 2,224,857 voters had chosen secession in this month's referendum.

"That comfortably exceeded the simple majority of 1.89 million votes needed on the 96-percent turnout of the 3,932,588 registered voters," AFP added. In some areas, support for independence was almost unanimous, it added.

The official result of the referendum will be announced only next month.

Read AFP's report >>

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