28 December 2010 – Materials the Referendum State High Committee (RSHC) of Upper Nile received last week for next month's self-determination referendum in Southern Sudan are currently being packed for distribution to 242 voting centres scattered across the state's 13 counties.

Non-sensitive voting materials like ballot boxes and voter screens were delivered to the RSHC on 19 December, according to Giovanni Cabrera of the UN Integrated Referendum and Electoral Division. Sensitive items such as ballot papers, polling kits and counting forms followed five days later.

"The non-sensitive materials started to be sent out to the counties on 20 December and the sensitive materials will be distributed on 30 December," he said.

The RSHC divided Upper Nile State into three separate zones for distribution purposes, noted RSHC member James Daniel Chuang.

"UNMIS air operations will support us to distribute the materials to the eastern zone including Ulang, Nasir, Longochuck, and Maiwut counties," he said.

Delivery of the voting materials will be done by road in the more accessible northern and central zones of the state, which comprise nine counties.

"The RSHC has 16 cars now, three cars are for the state headquarters and the rest are for the counties," said Mr. Chuang.

The central zone counties are Akoka, Malakal, Baliet, Fashoda, and Panyikang. The northern zone consists of Melut, Renk, Manyo, and Maban counties.