"The National Elections Commission will work on completing the administrative referendum to determine the permanent status of Darfur no later than July 1, 2011, with voting to take place over a period of two days," the NEC said in a statement.
The vote will determine whether Darfur should be granted regional status, which it had before 1994 and which the rebels have called for, as it would lead to a greater degree of autonomy, or whether it should remain as individual states.
The government says it is committed to holding the referendum under the Abuja peace accord signed in 2006.
But Darfur rebel groups have warned that to go ahead with such a unilateral move before a political agreement has been reached will torpedo the foundering Doha peace talks.
In addition, Minni Minnawi, the only rebel leader who signed the 2006 peace accord, resumed hostilities against the Sudanese army in December, which renders the terms of the agreement obsolete, according to his rebel faction.
Last month, a presidential committee endorsed a recommendation to add two new states to Darfur`s existing three, a move that still has to be approved by the local and national assemblies but which the rebels condemned as a policy of "divide and rule."
The NEC said it would take the necessary steps to conduct the referendum, including updating the voting register from elections in April last year, as well as raising awareness of and explaining its purpose to voters, and setting out the timetable. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
