UN Mission in Darfur ends preparations for South Sudan referendum

DARFUR, SUDAN -- The African Union – United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) on Tuesday announced that it has finalized preparations for the south Sudan referendum, which is to be held on Sunday.

UNAMID, in cooperation with the South Sudan Referendum Commission, has concluded a series of training seminars for staff at the 20 polling centers which will be deployed within the three Darfur states. The training consisted of staff members reviewing the details of all stages of the election process as well as coping with potential obstacles. UNAMID peacekeepers also offered advice on issues related to security in the polls and the movement of ballots.

UNAMID said an estimated 23,000 people have registered to vote in the referendum held in the Darfur states. During the voting, UNAMID will work to ensure the swift transportation of polling materials and the peaceful conclusion of the process.

UNAMID also addressed the security situation in all areas affected by the December clashes between the government and rebel forces, resulting in thousands of people being displaced.

Many of the refugees sought shelter outside nearby UNAMID team sites as the UN mission continues to deliver aid. The area is now reportedly calm and some public transportation has resumed.

UNAMID peacekeepers continue to maintain a robust presence on the region, in order to ensure the safety of displaced persons. UNAMID military conducted 105 patrols including routine, short-range, long-range, night and humanitarian escort patrols for 64 villages and camps.

This effort was intended to ensure that every last voter in South Sudan in the more than four-million-strong electorate will have chance to vote, no matter how remote and inaccessible the location.

Approximately 300,000 people have been killed and another 2.7 million forced to flee their homes since violence erupted in Sudan in 2003. The armed conflict confronted rebels against Government forces and their allied Janjaweed militiamen.

On January 9, the people of Southern Sudan will vote on whether to secede from the rest of the country, as part of the final phase in the implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement which ended two decades of war between the northern-based Government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army in the south.

A separate referendum is scheduled to take place on the same day in which the residents of the central and oil-rich area of Abyei will vote on whether to be part of the north or the south.

UN Secretary-General condemns church bomb attack in Egypt

UNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday condemned the deadly church attack that killed 21 people in Alexandria, Egypt.

According to Martin Nesirky, spokesman for the Secretary-General, the UN chief was appalled by the terrorist attack that also injured over 70 individuals at the al-Qiddissin Coptic Church in Alexandria during New Year's Eve festivities.

Ban also called for the Egyptian authorities to act swiftly and bring to justice those responsible for the terror bombing. In addition, he conveyed his sincere condolences to the families of the victims.

The international community also condemned the explosion that killed 21 and wound 97 people. The blast took place outside the church as worshipers were leaving the New Year's mass in the early hours of Saturday (January 1), according to the Daily News Egypt.

Initial reports indicated it was a car bomb but the Ministry of Interior later informed that the terror attack was perpetrated by a suicide bomber. President Hosni Mubarak said that the attackers were not Egyptian and they will be found and prosecuted.

"All of Egypt was targeted by the attack," said Mubarak. "Blind terrorism does not differentiate between Muslims and Christians."

Authorities informed that the situation in Alexandria is tense but everything is under control. The Egyptian government alleged that the attack was made by foreigners attempting to divide citizens.

The Muslim Brotherhood also strongly condemned the crime. The officially banned opposition group stated that this crime is not accepted by any religion, and that Islam calls for protecting the rights of non-Muslims and Muslims alike.