Southern Sudanese exiles travel to vote in a secession referendum
Sudanese refugees wave the flag of southern Sudan after voting for secession at a polling station at St. James Roman Catholic Parish in Glendale, Ariz. Mistrust in the process ran high at first. (Joshua Lott / For the Los Angeles Times)
Sudanese exiles wait in line before voting in the referendum, which will determine whether their mostly Christian and animist homeland will break away from the Muslim-dominated north. See full story(Joshua Lott / For the Los Angeles Times)
Exiles listen as an election worker gives voting instructions. See full story(Joshua Lott / For the Los Angeles Times)
Sudanese refugee Ramadan Kuron Issa casts his ballot. About 30 had made the six-hour drive from San Diego to Phoenix to participate in the referendum. See full story(Joshua Lott / For the Los Angeles Times)
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A Sudanese exile celebrates after casting his ballot. There were worries that the Sudanese government, based in the northern city of Khartoum, would steal votes to hold on to the oil-rich south. See full story(Joshua Lott / For the Los Angeles Times)
Sudanese refugees show off their ink -covered fingers outside the polling station. See full story(Joshua Lott / For the Los Angeles Times)
Sudanese women dance outside the polling station. “The south has been neglected,” said one exile. “As soon as I finish my studies, I will go back and help rebuild the nation.” See full story(Joshua Lott / For the Los Angeles Times)
Michael Pareng, 30, an unemployed security guard and one of Sudan’s Lost Boys, named after the orphans in the story “Peter Pan,” prays before a meal at a birthday party for fellow Lost Boys and Girls in Chula Vista, Calif. See full story(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Sudanese Lost Boys and Girls, now living in the San Diego area, gather for a portrait at the birthday party. See full story(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The Lost Boys and Girls celebrate their birthdays with a traditional Sudanese dance at the Elks Lodge in Chula Vista. See full story(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
