The SPLM Secretary General, Pagan Amum, said the unity of Sudan could be achieved voluntarily and in manner that respects the interests of all the people of Sudan. Speaking to a press conference at Juba International Airport, Amum said that the SPLM has briefed the visiting delegation of the African National Congress of South Africa on its views on Sudan's unity.

By TOM MALITI
Associated Press Writer

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- Southern Sudan's parliament may vote to secede from the Khartoum-based north if an independence reference scheduled for January is delayed, a former top Southern Sudan official said Thursday.

The oil-rich region can take such action under the terms of a peace deal signed in 2005 to end the north-south civil war, said John Duku, Southern Sudan's former mission chief to Kenya. The autonomous region does not have an embassy in Kenya but Duku was the equivalent of ambassador until March. He is currently working on Southern Sudan's referendum campaign but is not a member of the government.

"The date of Jan. 9, 2011 is written not with words," said Duku, referring to the referendum date. "It is written with the blood of 2.5 million Southern Sudanese who perished during the war."

He said that if the referendum is not held as scheduled on Jan. 9, Southern Sudan's parliament will vote to secede the next day. Such a move will be opposed by officials in the north, which could lead to a confrontation, said Duku.

In Southern Sudan's capital, Juba, Minister of Presidential Affairs Cirino Hiteng Ofuho said Duku's views do not represent those of the government, though he said Duku had the right to speak as an individual.

"According to the referendum law, officials are not supposed to make any statements like this," Ofuho said.

Duku said Sudan remaining as one country is no longer possible because the north has violated key parts of the 2005 peace deal such as the requirement that Islamic law should not apply in the country's capital, Khartoum.

"The unity between north and Southern Sudan has died. There is no more unity. The international community has to wake up to the reality there's no unity in Sudan," Duku told journalists in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

He also indirectly criticized Kenya, which hosted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir during a ceremony for the country's new constitution in Nairobi last week. Sudan's president faces arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court for alleged acts of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in the western Sudanese region of Darfur.

Kenya argued that acting on the ICC warrants and arresting al-Bashir would threaten Sudan's stability and would appear to take sides in the north-south referendum issue.

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Associated Press writer Maggie Fick in Juba, Sudan contributed to this report.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Five hyenas believed to have eaten about 260 goats in Hola have been killed.  The beasts also attacked a woman and her son in Haroresa and Wayu locations two weeks ago.

The Christian Science Monitor, Johannesburg, South Africa

For three weeks now, South Africa’s public schools, hospitals, and other government functions have nearly ceased to function, in nationwide strikes that are as much about political power as they are about civil servant salaries.

Now there is some hope that those strikes may be about to end. Unions representing more than 1.3 million government striking workers have started consulting their membership on whether they should take up a revised government salary package. Indications are that most unions are leaning toward accepting the new offer of a 7.5 percent wage increase and R800 housing allowance, effectively bringing the strike to an end. Others say they need more time to consult with membership.

Accept the wage increase?

The National Education, Health, and Allied Workers' Union (NEHAWU) said the new offer was acceptable, but pointed out that the whole process needed the workers' mandate.

"Presently we are busy consulting our members on whether to accept the new offer or reject it. But the bottom line is that our union has come a long way fighting from 6.5 percent to 7 percent and now a 7.5 percent wage increase,” said Sizwe Pamla, NEHAWU spokesman.

He said NEHAWU's National Executive Committee views the new offer as short of the minimum demands of its members of a wage increase and housing allowance.

"A decision was then taken [Tuesday] to take the offer back to our members for their consideration," said Mr. Pamla.

On the surface, the strike of 1.3 million government workers – mainly teachers, nurses, clerks, immigration offers, and home affairs personnel – is about salary levels that place many civil servants just barely above the poverty line. But with the leadership of South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma in deep question, the many factions that make up the ruling African National Congress are using this time to show their strength and to push the ANC not only for concessions but for greater access to power.

Limit to support

The Congress of South Africa Trade Unions (COSATU) makes up the largest and most disciplined part of the ANC alliance, and one of the strongest supporters of Mr. Zuma’s candidacy for party leadership in 2007. Now, as they seek an 8.6 percent wage increase and R1,000 housing allowance – while crippling public service and leaving thousands of sick patients stranded – they are showing Zuma that their support has a limit.

COSATU, which is coordinating the strikes, said the mandate was now in the hands of its affiliate unions to take the offer to members to accepted or reject it.

"We are happy with the outcome, but once again, the ball is in our union membership’s court whether to accept the revised offer or not," said Patrick Craven, COSATU spokesman.

South African Democratic Teachers' Union (SADTU) said they would not decide until Wednesday afternoon whether they would accept the new government offer or not. SADTU deputy secretary general Nkosan Dolop said government had showed its commitment by putting a new offer on the table.

"This time government showed some seriousness and total commitment,” said Mr. Dolop.” But I can't say much at this moment because we are still consulting with our membership. They (the membership) are the ones to give us a directive whether to take it [the new offer] or leave it."

Consultation for the Public Servants Association of South Africa (PSA), a union of civil service office workers with a membership of more than 211,000, would run until Friday, said Mannie de Clerq, PSA spokesman. "We will only be able to announce our position by Friday morning," he said.

Mr. De Clerq also emphasized that the new revised offer was "a bit serious" as opposed to previous offers which were rejected by workers.

JUBA, Sudan, Aug 28 (Reuters) - South Sudanese authorities have identified eleven sites in the semi-autonomous region where they plan to build hydroelectric plants to exploit the White Nile and other rivers, a government official said on Saturday.

The oil-producing south will vote in a referendum on secession on Jan. 9 and is widely expected to become an independent nation. Southerners will be building a country from scratch after decades of civil war destroyed what little infrastructure there was in the fertile region.

Isaac Liabwel, a senior official at the ministry of water resources and irrigation, said exploiting the Nile was central to development of the south, which has no electricity grid. Only a few towns have power provided by expensive generators.

"We have located more than 10 potential sites for hydro power, most are along the Nile and its tributaries," Liabwel said. "Developing this power is essential to build up industry ... for irrigation, agriculture."

Liabwel said five sites had been earmarked along the Nile, three others on its tributaries, and three at other water catchment sites in the region. He said they could potentially provide the south with 2,000 megawatt hours of power per day.

The final price tag and timeframe is unknown and costing studies are under way, said Liabwel, who singled out four of the sites along the Nile as the top priority. Each of these lies between the capital, Juba, and the southern border with Uganda.

"These are the main sites. Once they are operational we can link with Uganda and DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) and export power to them," he said.

The Blue and White Nile merge in Sudan into a single river that then flows into Egypt.

Southern Sudan Electricity Corporation general manager Ajuoi Chol said the cost for the four priority sites south of Juba would not be less than $1 billion.

Liabwel said the source of funding for the projects and their timeframes were unclear, an issue compounded by the looming referendum because so many question marks remained about the makeup of an independent south's economy.

Under a 2005 peace deal, south Sudan's government gets about half the revenues from oil in the south. With all the oil infrastructure in the north, wealth-sharing would likely continue after secession although the percentages are still being negotiated.

Use of Nile water remains a highly sensitive issue for Egypt, which has reacted angrily to plans by upstream countries to rewrite laws around the division of Nile waters.

Liabwel said Egypt was aware of the south's plans and was supportive of them as the plants would not significantly impair the annual flows.