Citizens of contested Abyei stress commitment to unity, coexistence

By Sudanese TV

KHARTOUM, Jan 13, 2004 — The sons [presumably citizens] of Abyei [southern Kordofan] have organized a peace conference during which they gave a briefing on how the issue of their area is being addressed in the peace talks.

The sons of Abyei, drawn from various tribes, stressed their commitment to the unity of the area and that it is part of Kordofan.

The speakers at the conference, who were sons, leaders and chiefs from the Misayriah, and Dinka Ngok, spoke about the history and the tribes in the area as well as coexistence. They said the area had been an example of Sudanese unity. They expressed total rejection to any quarter contemplating to take Abyei away from its geographical position. They said any solution must accommodate the interest of the two groups in the area and must aim at promoting their coexistence.

Meanwhile, the sons of Abyei conveyed a message to the leaders of the negotiating parties, Ustadh [honorific], First Vice-President Ali Uthman Muhammad Taha and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement’s leader Dr John Garang. The message referred to the outcome of the [peace] talks. The participants expressed total rejection to any attempts aimed at removing Abyei from its geographical and natural position under any claim.

They said wisdom does not allow any decision taken for a solution which would contradict reality and rationale of history. The solution must be commensurate with the normal situation and peaceful historical co-existence among the sons of the area for many centuries. They underlined that Abyei had been part of Western Kordofan State [western Sudan] before the political agenda, which is bringing about misunderstanding now, had not appeared.

BBC Monitoring Middle East