South Sudan chamber passes road map for implementation of Abyei Protocol

By Isaac Vuni

March 10, 2009 (JUBA) – The parliament of the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) passed resolutions on the Abyei area for implementation of the national presidency, emphasizing the need to help displaced populations return to the area and grant the people of Abyei the two percent of oil revenue from the area guaranteed to them under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

The house also directed the minister of presidential affairs to periodically brief the house on progress being achieved in the state particularly on how much administrators have done for grassroots people including repatriation of the internally displaced persons, said Hon. Martin Aligohas.

Abyei is a disputed area is afforded a special status under Sudan’s interim national constitution, and is the subject of a border dispute being settled at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. The area was the scene of clashes between southern SPLA and northern army forces last March and December, displacing tens of thousands.

In a heated debate three hours in length chaired by Hon. Daniel Monydit, Hon. James Wan (SPLM-Abyei) said the crisis in Abyei is of a national nature that requires the contribution of all south Sudanese because a political decision would be ideal for resolving contested issues between south and north as southerners will never accept Abyei to be part of the north while north will insist on claming economic right they are enjoying since discovery of oil in Abyei.

Hon. James, who was one of the members to plan the solution, recalled that in the 1972 Addis Ababa agreement, people of Abyei were also supposedly going to decide which region to belong to, but such an exercise never took place. Again in 1981 another committee was established to address the same issue, as Abyei’s people were demanding to be part of Bahr el Ghazal, but Khartoum on its rights over Abyei.

Addressing his remark to intellectuals of Abyei, Hon. Nyanichiek Nhial Majik (NCP-Jonglei) challenged them to make efforts to sensitize their people about the CPA at the grassroots level rather than concentrating in big cities like Juba and Khartoum occupying senior positions without going to address communal issues at village levels.

Hon. Angelina (SPLM-Upper Nile) hailed the GOSS president for taking positive steps in appointing an administrator to Abyei.

Hon. Stephen Ajongo (SPLM-Upper Nile) also said the Abyei issue was a national one and wondered why the two percent ration of oil was not being given to the administrator of Abyei by the Khartoum government as agreed in CPA. He then demanded for an explanation from the Abyei administrator to the August House. Hon. David Biel (UDSF- Bahr el Ghazal) raised the same point.

The issue of Abyei is almost ruining the CPA because President Omer Al-Bashir continues to reject the finding of an independent body formed to investigate the dispute, remarked Hon. David Nailo Mayo, referring to the Abyei Boundary Commission, whose findings the Government of Sudan rejected.

Hon. Dr. Achol Marial (SPLM-Jonglei) said that while the SPLM/A war was fought in silence, now local media should focus on Abyei.

Jimmy Wango Abye noted that the issue has been discussed three times in the August House.

(ST)