Census Updates

30 October 2007 – (Juba) – If people are not counted, the resources allocated to them by government may be too small. That warning from Government of Southern Sudan Vice President Riek Machar, speaking in Juba on Saturday during the publicity launch of the nationwide census to be conducted in February.

Speaking to a crowd, Dr. Machar said that the census is important because it will be the basis for all governments’ distribution of resources to Sudan’s regions and people.

[Dr. Machar]: “If we are not counted, the resources that the government allocates will be too small for us. We have different levels of government. There is the central government in Khartoum; it has resources it divides to the people of Sudan and they only do this by numbers. And if the Government of Southern Sudan wants to allocate resources, then it will be done with the consideration of numbers and even the state government will also do the same, based on the numbers of the people.”

Dr. Machar reminded people to be in Sudan by the night of February first to second in order to be eligible for counting in the census.