MICHELE NORRIS, Host:
Welcome to the program.
MARTIN DALY: Thank you very much.
NORRIS: Help us understand the differences between the people of the north and the people of the south, and has there always been this cultural and political and economic divide between them?
DALY: Yes, it's age-old. The north is almost entirely Muslim, almost entirely Arabic-speaking. The south is almost entirely non-Arabic-speaking and almost entirely non-Muslim. So there is a general divide between north and south, which was exacerbated during the colonial period when the British tried to impose differences between the regions.
NORRIS: For what purpose?
DALY: Whatever the motives were for that policy, the result was an even greater divide between the two regions, so that at independence, the south was even more backward in comparison to the north than perhaps it had been when the colonial period began.
NORRIS: And what about the border that now divides the two regions? Is that a natural border? How was this line, this demarcation drawn?
DALY: So the border is arbitrary and has yet to be delimited, and that's one of the things that would have to be worked out if the vote takes place for secession, which is everyone expects.
NORRIS: What would it take for it to really stand up and grow and prosper as a freestanding nation?
DALY: There's been a great deal of corruption. There's been a great deal of nepotism in the transitional regime there now. And the fear is that even with a great deal of oil wealth, the country will need a lot of foreign assistance, not only financially but in terms of practical advice and help.
NORRIS: Martin Daly, it's been good to talk to you. Thank you very much.
DALY: You're very welcome.
NORRIS: Martin Daly is the author of "The History of the Sudan."
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MELISSA BLOCK, Host:
You're listening to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News.