Pressing the north to let the south go

摘要

The American administration is pressing Omar al-Bashir's Sudanese government in Khartoum to let the southern bit of his country become peacefully independent after a referendum due there on January 9th, when an overwhelming majority of southerners is expected to plump for secession. The iron-fisted Mr Bashir has promised to abide by the outcome of the vote. Yet he could still play plenty of tricks, both in the run-up to the vote and after it, with the aim of keeping as much of the oil-rich land between north and south and to ensure that the new country is a flop.