by Irene Panozzo | With something more than five months to go before South Sudan and Abyei regions will be called to cast a vote and decide their future, Sudan's chronicles offer every day new developments regarding the approaching electoral appointments. Reading news reports from Sudan, one might have the impression the path to the referendum is uphill to say the least.

by Irene Panozzo | With April elections held and concluded peacefully, though with some major shortcomings which prompted the Carter Center to declare them as 'not being up to international standards', Sudan is set to prepare now for the next fundamental stage provided for in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in 2005: the self-determination referendum through which South Sudan will decide whether to remain part of the c

by Abdinur Aw Ali | External influences, at the regional and global levels, are playing pivotal roles in Somalia, both in positive and negative ways. And while many Somalis, increasingly believe that left to their own devices, the political/tribal conflict in the country have better chance of been settled, this is unlikely scenario, and not necessarily desirable in the case of the humanitarian relief involvements.