Oct 14 (Reuters) – Residents of Sudan’s disputed Abyei region will not accept a delay to a vote on the future of their oil-producing area and may hold their own vote without the government, the area’s administrator said on Thursday.
“A delayed vote is unacceptable. The people of Abyei are still holding out for the referendum to be held on Jan. 9. If the government does not give them that option we can have a self-run referendum,” said Deng Arop Kuol, a member of south Sudan’s dominant Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM). (Reporting by Andrew Heavens; Editing by Jon Boyle)