African Union postpones Abyei reconciliation meeting

June 24, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – The African Union (AU) Wednesday postponed indefinitely a reconciliation meeting for Ngok Dinka and Messiriya Abyei community leaders after a last-minute note from the South Sudanese side.

In a bid to break the tensions between the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities in the disputed Abyei area, the co-chairmen of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC) agreed on 30 March 2015, to bring together the traditional chiefs of the two communities to discuss local issues and to promote reconciliation.

However, in a statement released on Wednesday, the Commission of the African Union expressed disappointment over the postponement of the Abyei community leader’s reconciliation meeting, which was scheduled to take place in Addis Ababa, from 20 to 24 June 2015.

Despite previous indication about their participation “the AJOC Facilitator was informed that the South Sudanese community leaders would not take part in the meeting in Addis Ababa and that they were requesting an indefinite postponement to resolve internal challenges relating to their participation,” said the AU commission.

The statement didn’t elaborate on the nature of these “internal challenges”, but indicated that the newly AJOC Facilitator, Boitshoko Mokgatlhe, met with the Sudanese delegation which arrived to the Ethiopian capital on 19 June.

“The Messiriya Chiefs underscored the importance of reconciliation with their brothers from the Ngok Dinka community. They expressed their readiness to attend any subsequent meeting on this matter, and the hope that the Ngok Dinka representatives will also be in attendance,” said the African Union.

The African Union stressed the urgent need to hold the traditional leaders meeting in order to promote reconciliation among the Abyei communities. Also, it praised the presence of the Misseriya delegation, adding it looks forward to the full cooperation of the South Sudanese side.

In October 2013, the Ngok Dinka held an unilateral referenda where they decided to join the South Sudan. They also refuse the reestablishment of a joint administration agreed by Khartoum and Juba since June 2011, pointing that all the efforts should focus on the organisation of the self-determination vote.

Sudan and South Sudan failed to agree on who can participate in this crucial plebiscite. Khartoum says the nomad Misseriya are entire citizens of the contested area but Juba rejects such idea.

The African Union mediation body (AUHIP) led by the former South African president Thabo Mbeki supported the organisation of the referendum without the Misseriya. But the African Union Peace and Security Council refused to endorse the proposal, preferring to continue efforts to promote a negotiated deal.

(ST)

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