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Sudan Tribune

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SPLM says Abyei cannot be left as part of the north

January 31, 2011 (JUBA) – An official from south Sudan’s ruling party said Monday that there is “no way” the disputed border region of Abyei could be left as part of north Sudan. Bol Makueng, described citizens of Abyei as part of the South and that there was no reason to leave them as part of the north under any circumstances.

Sudan’s south is due to separate from the north after successfully completing a self determination referendum. After decades of war, the south was granted the right to secede in a 2005 peace deal between former southern rebels the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP).

A parallel referendum was due to be held in Abyei, to decide the future of the fertile oil-producing region. However, the vote did not take place as the SPLM refused to accept the NCP’s demand that the Misseriya tribe, who enter the region to graze their cattle for a few months of the year, be allowed to vote.

The SPLM maintain that the Dinka Ngok tribe are native to the area and are the only group who should be allowed to vote in the Abyei referendum. The Dinka Ngoka are a branch of southern Sudan’s largest ethnic group, the Dinka, and largely identify themselves as southerners despite Abyei physically being in northern Sudan.

Under the Abyei Protocol of the 2005 peace agreement, gave the region the opportunity to annex itself to the south from where it was transferred from South Kordofan state in 1905 by British administrators.

Makueng told Sudan Tribune: “Liberation is won. The citizens of Abyei are pure south Sudanese by identity. There is no question about that. They are part and parcel of south Sudan and the liberation struggle. They went to the war twice with the people of south Sudan because of Abyei. So, there is no way we can leave behind [Abyei] in the north comes what may.”

While in Abyei January, Sudan Tribune observed that many people were heavily armed. Some villages are largely deserted due to conflict. In the run up to south’s referendum on January 9, armed Misseriya clashed with Abyei security forces, resulted in over 30 deaths. The conflict was triggered, according to some Misseriya leaders, because they had heard that the region was planning on conducting a unilateral referendum to enable it join what will be a newly-independent south Sudan.

“There are no civilians in this area,” said John Ajang, the acting secretary general of Abyei’s local government, refering to Tajalei, near the border with South Kordofan, in an interview with Sudan Tribune on 15 January.

He accused the Missiriyia of creating road blocks and attacking buses travelling from the north to the south carrying internally displaced persons.

“Commercial trucks with good and vehicles carrying our internally displaced persons coming home through Misseriya areas are routinely sprayed with gunfire. Several passengers have been killed. Roads are closed,” said Ajang.

United Nations officials in Abyei who did not want to be named, as they had not been authorized to speak to the media, on Sunday described the security situation to be relatively calm.

One UN official told Sudan Tribune: “At the movement, the security situation is relatively come. The new Joint Integrated Units from Wau are moving into the area. There have been no immediate security concerns during the last two weeks at the border areas.” Joint Integrated Units, established after the peace deal, consist of both the southern army (SPLA) and the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) controlled by Khartoum.

The UN official said that they have reports from a patrol force that a large crowd of armed men with assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and machetes, amassed north of Abyei town in Difra on Friday. But he said the patrol were not permitted to meet the group.

Talks over the emotionally charged future of the border region have failed to establish a commission to run the Abyei referendum and neither party appears willing to change their position on who can vote. Many in Abyei fears that the referendum in the region will not take place.

Analysts say that conflict in the region could trigger renewed hostilities between the north and south if the status of Abyei and the rights of the Misseriya to enter the region are agreed at a local and national politcal level.

(ST)

19 Comments

  • Bol Deng
    Bol Deng

    SPLM says Abyei cannot left as part of the north
    The border and oil issue in Abyei have been sung strongly by Greater Muormuor and Khoryom battalions. Also by Amer( Terap) so we all know that there are problems that are awaiting but there is no way that Abyei will left behind because the Khartoum regime must know that they are purely Dinka and they know very well who are Dinka in the South. Caution!

    Reply
  • Ahmed Chol
    Ahmed Chol

    SPLM says Abyei cannot left as part of the north
    The whole is the sums of its parts: We need Abyei, Southern Blue Nile, Nuba Mountains because their people die during the quest for South Sudan. Especially the Nubian (most of them were Mudfajeen) sacrificed more than some loudly complaining communities in the south today that never even send a single soldier to the battle field. It should be included in the Constitutional Review that such soldiers have the same right as any other southerner in the south. They can built and live in the south if they want to. They can stay anywhere in the south. History of Southern Sudan should never forget Yusuf Kuwa and those who joined the SPLA with him.

    Ahmed Chol

    Reply
  • Sam.Eto
    Sam.Eto

    SPLM says Abyei cannot be left as part of the north
    Im sorry to say – but abyei will remain part of the north. the status qou will remain even after South Sudan separates. even then it might like kashmir. Im sorry to say for the Dinka, if they do not intend to share Abyei with the messeriya then there will be war between them – that might lead to war between North & south Sudan which no one wants. The Americans, Europeans, chinese and africans clearly will not tolerate war. If it means abyei remain in the North so be it. So tough luck, huff and puff all you want. No one is listening, if you do anything – no one will be on your side. lets just say you were warned

    Reply
  • Thondet Manyang
    Thondet Manyang

    SPLM says Abyei cannot be left as part of the north
    Dear Southerners,
    I always proud of you. And the coming back of Abyei from that oil gredy regime is our full responsiblity.
    Therefore, will shall make it God will still help us.
    If you have read this article carefully, I hate one statement which said that ” Abyei is seen in northern Sudan map”. Does the person who wrote this article knows North-South borders very well?

    Reply
  • Sudan virus
    Sudan virus

    SPLM says Abyei cannot be left as part of the north
    Abyei issue was ruled out by the International Court of Arbitration (ICA)in Hague.

    I don’t think there is any possibility to change the ruling,that Abyei belongs to the south and the current oil refinery at Higlig belongs to the North.

    Reply
  • mohammed ali
    mohammed ali

    SPLM says Abyei cannot be left as part of the north
    We know Dinka very well and we know Meseriya very well.Both are human beings and non of them is super-human.

    If Southerners are fearless , northerners are also fearless.

    But, is it about fear and “megalomenia”!Both have claims on Beyei and I donnot want to indulge on who is right and who is wrong.The fact remains that both lived in harmoney for centuries, the result of which is that Southerners from Abeyei have got the highest educational rates among southerners.

    The ruling of Abeyei gives the right to the Dinka and “others” living there to vote.The SPLA does not want the marginaliized Miiserya to vote, claiming that they stay in Abeyei for only 6 months and thefore it is not their home.The SPLA rejected all the reasonable proposals by the Americans and Africans, so counting on the international support is useless.Since the financial crises , the world had changed alot!

    War is not a solution neither is “megalomenia”.We donnot want war.’ and you cannot win it and you will not fight.War means collapse of the oil industry which will certainly affects. us , but it will affect the south tremendously and it simply means total collapse of the south.

    War is not an option and in the north nobody wants war. Let us talk sense, we can still live in peace and that doesnnot mean we fear you and we donnot want you to fear us and you shouldn’t.That is a stupid thing to say!

    Ordinary people from Abeuei”missereya and dinka” want peace, they deserve it!

    Reply
  • mohammed ali
    mohammed ali

    SPLM says Abyei cannot be left as part of the north
    Deng,

    I fully agree with you; it is not a question of fear or superiority of any tribe over another one.I am simply answering some people who are talking about “fearless” southerners and I donnot have a problem with that but other people can fearless as well.

    Mesriya and Dinka are poor people who suffered alot , they were living together for centuries in peace and harmony, let us, the so called ” educated” people not spoil their life and increase their suffering due to the ambitions of few individuals who want to continue looting!

    I donnot want the oil industry to be destroyed even if it belongs to the south alone, but the fact will remain that it will affect the politics and the relationship between the two sides, hopefully in positive way!

    Reply
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