Abyei: UNISFA urges traditional leaders on peaceful coexistence

May 20, 2022 (JUBA) – The United Nations Interim Force for Abyei (UNISFA) has urged traditional leaders in the disputed region to peacefully co-exist.

The call came at the end of a Joint Traditional Leaders’ Peace Conference held in Entebbe, Uganda. Organized by UNISFA, the forum, attended by 30 Misseriya and Ngok Dinka traditional leaders, took place from May 17-19.

The three-day, according to UNISFA, provided a platform to find sustainable solutions to peaceful co-existence among communities in Abyei region.

During the conference, the Special Envoy of Secretary-General for the Horn of Africa, Hanna Serwaa Tetteh urged the Misseriya and Ngok Dinka leaders to unlock any stalemate and find a solution toward peaceful coexistence.

Decrying the insecurity and loss of lives on both sides in Abyei, Tetteh said that efforts during the three days conference are key to working with governments toward finding a lasting solution to peaceful co-existence.

For his part, the UNISFA Acting Head of Office and Force Commander, Major General Benjamin Olufemi Sawyerr pledged the mission’s support toward the implementation of resolutions derived at the end of the forum.

Ambassador Julius Joshua Kivune, a representative of the Ugandan government, pledged his country’s willingness and support for the Abyei peace initiative.

He said the Ugandan government was always ready to assist Abyei people.

The Ngok Dinka Paramount Chief, Bulabek Deng Kuol expressed commitment to peaceful coexistence and called for respect between Misseriya and Ngok Dinka communities.

The representative of the Misseriya delegation, El Sadig Hireka Izzral Din, pledged the readiness of the Misseriya to open a new page towards finding solutions for peaceful coexistence between the Misseriya and Ngok Dinka.

In recent months, violence has intensified in the contested oil-producing region, despite the presence of the UN peacekeeping force in the area.

According to authorities in the area, some of the attacks were carried out by the Sudanese Misseriya tribe with the most recent one happening last month, whereby more than 40 civilians including women and children were killed by suspected Messeriya tribesmen in separate incidents in the area.

The Abyei Area, a territory of 10,546 km² on the border between Sudan and South Sudan, was accorded “special administrative status” by the 2004 Protocol on the Resolution of the Abyei Conflict in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the second Sudanese civil war.

In 2011, the UN Security Council deployed its peacekeeping force in the disputed area after deadly clashes displaced thousands of the population.

(ST)