Voter attempts to disarm a police officer in Yei
A scuffle broke out at Sudan Pentecostal Church polling centre in Yei, Central Equatoria State, when an irritated voter tried to forcibly disarm a female police officer on the first day of voting. The incident came when security officers at the centre were making efforts to control a crowd that surged back and forth due to high turn-out and insufficient preparation for the large queues. The unidentified voter was overpowered by security operatives and later taken into custody.
Referendum polling officials were not able to organise the queue.\"
David Lokonga Moses, the Yei River County commissioner and Referendum Taskforce Chairperson immediately rushed to the scene to quell the situation and urged voters to observe set guidelines and procedures. In an interview, Lokonga said the errant voter would be dealt with accordingly adding that such misbehaviour would not be tolerated. He attributed the incident to the overwhelming voter turn-out. Referendum polling officials were not able to organise the queue. There were up to five lines leading to a commotion”, Lokonga explained. He further called for vulnerable groups such as breastfeeding mothers, persons with disabilities and the aged to be given due consideration in order to cast their votes.
The Referendum Subcommittee Public Outreach Programme Officer, Father Simon Khemis Mabe, equally blamed the fracas on poor demarcation and organisation of the two centres A and B that are located at the same venue. Mabe said both centers had over 6.000 registered voters and everybody was very eager to vote. In his address to the voters before polling could resume, Father Mabe called for calmness and told people to be friendly as there were more days for them to vote.
Just outside the centre, a group of women sang and danced saying they were fed up of war since the time of the first rebellion known as Anya Nya One, when Southerners took up arms against the Arab dominated Khartoum government. Singing in a Dinka dialect, the women said Southern Sudan was their land for which grandparents, husbands and children had died over the decades. Arabs go on your side and we remain on our side”, the women sung with high morale.
\"[...] I will not give up despite the long lines at the polling centre”.
A huge turn-out was recorded in most urban areas, especially Yei town where some people said they had remained in the line for over six hours before they could cast their vote. Lily Ropan said despite standing from 6:30am she was happy she had made her choice of separation with the hope of ending the problems caused by what she termed as bad Arab leadership that made Southerners suffer for decades. Another voter was less outspoken, saying, My vote is secret. It is now 1:30 pm but I will not give up despite the long lines at the polling centre”.
Tea vendors and dealers in consumables like pop-corns, bread, bananas and soft drinks took advantage of the big gatherings to make quick cash as many voters had left their homes in the morning before having anything to eat or at least needed a drink to cool off the scotching sun heat.
Besides the high turn-out on the first day, polling officials at many centers took time to explain the two symbols of unity and separation on the ballot papers. The Chairperson of Peremasuk polling centre in Ronyi Boma, Ale Cyprus, said some elderly persons lacked adequate information on the thumb-printing process of the ballot papers provided to them.
Observers from Sudan Network for Democratic Elections (SUNDE) were deployed at all centres while teams from the European Union, The Carter Center and The African Union moved from centre to another taking notes and talking to polling officials.
With the exception of the incident at Sudan Pentecostal Church, voting at most polling centres in Yei went smoothly and without problems, and in most cases voters were calm but very keen. In some centres, like Christ the King Church in Yei, voters went with flash lights in their hands as early as four o\'clock in the morning to grab a chance of being the first to vote when polling started four hours later.
