In the lead-up to the referendum the ten southern States are enjoying considerable political autonomy. The southern states are free to make their own laws. There is to be an equitable division of the country's natural resources between the various federal states, though priority is to be given to reconstruction in the south. And yet the war continues From your own statements it is clear that you are not prepared to negotiate a peaceful resolution of the Sudanese conflict. Your track record of genuine participation in the many rounds of peace talks is not a good one.
Fighting continues in parts of southern Sudan.
In 1998, the Roman Catholic Church in southern Sudan publicly stated that SPLA gunmen were stealing almost two-thirds of all the emergency food aid going into famine affected areas controlled by your forces. In March 1999 your forces murdered four aid workers assisting with Red Cross work in Sudan. Hundreds of Sudanese continue to die as a direct result of the war you continue to wage in Sudan. The spectre of famine is ever-present. It is difficult to follow what it now is that you are hoping to achieve.