Author Maggie Fick

Here’s a quick tip for following events in Sudan from afar: go to www.sudantribune.com and look on the right side of the home page for the latest readers’ poll. This poll often gives an accurate indication of an important issue of the day in Sudan. Right now the polling question is: “How should the SPLM [the southern ruling party] respond to a referendum postponement?” The three options are 1) agree to it 2) negotiate to keep the referendum date unchanged and 3) go to war with the North.

Juba, Sudan—Some alarming news out of Khartoum this weekend regarding the southern Sudanese referendum: Tariq Osman, a member of the 9-person Southern Sudan Referendum Commission, told reporters on Saturday that he didn’t think the referendum could be held on time.

Ed note: In February, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair released the Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community.