Oral hearing of Abyei Arbitration to begin on April 18
April 16, 2009 (LONDON) — Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement will present their oral hearing on Saturday April 18 before the Abyei Arbitration at the The Hague based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA).
The pleading will last from 18 to 23 April. The two parties, their counsel, experts, observers and witnesses will take part at the hearings. Within 90 days of the close of the oral hearings, the arbitration will issue their final and binding decision.
The five judges have to determine whether or not the Abyei Boundary Commission (ABC) experts exceeded their mandate “to define and demarcate the area of the Nine Ngok Dinka Chiefdoms transferred from Bahr el Ghazal to Kordofan in 1905.”
The tribunal shall apply and resolve the dispute before it in accordance with the provisions of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), particularly Abyei Protocol and Abyei Appendix.
Abyei Protocol provided to establish an Abyei Boundaries Commission tasked with defining the boundaries of the Abyei Area. But the National Congress Party rejected the findings of the commission which had been issued in July 2005.
The two signatories of the CPA agreed on June 8, 2008, in a roadmap to resolve Abyei disagreement, to refer their dispute to an arbitration tribunal. They formally referred their case to the PCA on July 12, 2008.
Southern Sudan government accused the federal government of delaying the delivery of the necessary funds to cover the expenses requested by SPLM for the arbitration. GOSS Presidency Affairs Minister, Luka Biong said the delay adversely affected the preparation of SPLM defense.
Biong said they had not been able to obtain important information they supposed to have since last February. Also he said that they averted some lawyers due to lack of money. However, he admitted that Khartoum transferred one day before the departure of their committee the necessary 880,000 USD. He added they had requested one million dollars.
According to Article 11 of the arbitration agreement signed in Khartoum on July 8, 2008 by Vice President Ali Osman Taha and SPLM Deputy Chairman Riek Machar Teny, the Presidency of the Republic of Sudan is required to order payment of the cost of arbitration from the federal budget.
(ST)
Mel mosa
Oral hearing of Abyei Arbitration to begin on April 18
Money can talk. Bashier always pay more money to overcome his crimes. what prevent him to buy Abyei through paying more money to lawyers? So, the Southern Sudan government should be careful about.
Micheal Kerkuei
Oral hearing of Abyei Arbitration to begin on April 18
Abyiei Edong wei ka de?
I want to imagine that what was needed for the court to proceed at the time was none other than money. The lawyers would not mind recieving money from any source, being SPLM or the ruling NCP. The Kiswahili proverb goes: ‘Majuto ni majuku’ meaning regret comes after a long time. There is two ways about it, the SPLM is regreting now for what it should have solved long long time ago, but was hindered simply because money was channeled into the bottomless pockets of some key figures in the South.
These money-minded figures who take public money home must understand that the sole source of much more money is Abyiei,and so they must ensure the Abyiei boundary is demarcated correctly and promptly.
If all Southern Sudanese and especially the government officials could join in singing the tune: “Abyiei e dong wei ka de?” then all can be solved with ease instead of blaming Al Bashir of NCP who is day and night not only thinking about how to please the ICC so as to forget about the arrest warrant issued on him, but also planning for the welfare of his Northern Sudanese.
Let’s forget about money and secure the land of Abyiei now, Amen!