Sudan demands joint administration in Abyei region
September 28, 2022 (JUBA/KHARTOUM) – Sudan has rejected any unilateral action in Abyei, calling for formation of a joint administration in accordance with provisions of the 2011 agreement on temporary arrangement for the administration and security of the region.
The call is contained in a government position paper issued on September 26, 2022.
Sudan, according to the document, “Rejects all unilateral measures by the republic of south Sudan and encourages it to abide by the provisions of the Abyei protocol, 2005, the bilateral agreement 2011, and the UN Security Council Resolution 1990 dated 2011”.
It further calls for the stoppage of all administrative measures by South Sudan, especially the designation of Abyei as the capital of one of the districts of the young nation.
The paper also rejects the appointment of a civilian as the deputy to the commander of the United Nations interim force for Abyei, saying it would be a violation of the force’s military structure and hence amount to the amendment of the agreement and the text.
The agreement, it said, can only be amended through the consensus of the two parties.
It says the force in Abyei is temporary and the objective of the mission can be terminated and withdrawn if the status of the disputed region is resolved amicably by the parties.
On Tuesday, South Sudan President Salva Kiir linked settling the final status of the disputed region to the improved relations with Sudan from which it seceded in July 2011.
“South Sudan’s foreign policy to Sudan supports cooperation between our independent republics. Government is currently committed to supporting the ongoing transformation of Sudan’s governance structure for both bilateral and regional stability,” he stated.
The South Sudanese leader, in the September 27 statement, explained why his administration was not using hostile approaches to resolve the situation in Abyei.
“My fellow South Sudanese, and in particular, my people of Abyei, I want first to acknowledge the heightened frustrations expressed by the Abyei community worldwide. The seeming non-movement of South Sudan’s government on Abyei’s final status is not purposeful but rather a response to challenges arising from the developing situation”, stressed Kiir.
He added, “When my comrades and I raised our voices and picked up arms and pens to fight for the actualization of South Sudan, the Ngok of Abyei courageously fought alongside us. The 2013 referendum results revealed what we already knew, the Abyei’s communities envisage (see) themselves as south Sudanese. I want to assure you that achieving the final status of Abyei is a top policy priority for the government of South Sudan”.
In his May 2022 proposal, Francis Mading Deng, a prominent son of Abyei suggested that Sudan and South Sudan should grant the area a self-governing status, detaching it from the two neighbouring countries, with the United Nations providing security and maintaining law and order until such time the region decides on its own fate.
The former UN diplomat explained that making his native region of Abyei independent of Juba and Khartoum could help achieve lasting peace, security and stability.
This, he said, would help bring services and development opportunities closure to women and youth of Abyei. It also will enhance their participation in public life and thereby bring peaceful coexistence between Ngok Dinka and neighboring communities.
However, neither Sudan nor South Sudan has responded to the former diplomat’s proposal, which has received mixed reactions.
According to the 2005 comprehensive peace deal, the nine Ngok Dinka chiefdoms of Abyei, were to vote in a referendum to decide whether to remain part of northern Sudan or become part of the South Sudan. This has also affected the implementation of the 2011 agreement on temporary arrangement for the Administration and Security of the Abyei.
(ST)