Egypt: Egypt against Sudan referendum over Nile fears

Egypt does not want to see a divided Sudan after the 9 January 2011 referendum, fearing an independent South will threaten its stranglehold on the River Nile waters, a leaked US embassy cable has revealed. In the cables published by online whistleblower WikiLeaks, Egypt had even asked the US government to help postpone the referendum by four to six years. The position is radically divergent from that of Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad) which on behalf of African Union has been pushing the Sudan parties to adhere to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and hold the referendum next year as scheduled.