South Sudan calls for African Union-UN investigation on Abyei’s bloody attack
January 27, 2020 (JUBA) – The South Sudanese foreign ministry has called on the African Union and the UN force in Abyei to investigate the bloody attack on a Dinka Ngok village carried out by the Misseriya armed which resulted in the death of 32 people.
The revenge attack of 22 January took place after an altercation between three cattle herders and residents of Kolom on 20 January where three people were killed including one man from the Dinka Ngok.
The attack was condemned by the Sudanese government which accused the UNISFA of negligence and not taking the needed measures to prevent an escalation between the two tribes. Also, Khartoum said they agreed with Juba to intervene jointly in such a case to prevent tribal clashes in the future.
On Monday, the South Sudanese foreign ministry issued a statement calling on the UNISFA to “live up to its mandate and responsibilities of protecting civilians under its jurisdictions”.
“The (South Sudan’s) government calls upon both the African Union and the United Nations to carry out an immediate joint and transparent investigation in order to prevent the recurrence of such incidents which have caused continuous loss of loves in the Abyei area,” further said Hakim Edward, the official spokesman of the foreign ministry in Juba.
Sudan had pledged to send hold accountable the perpetrators of the attack and to bring them to justice.
Also, the Sudanese army spokesman Amer Mohamed al-Hassan on Saturday said the security conditions in Abyei returned to normal and the problem has been settled through peaceful coexistence committees in the disputed area.
However, in his statement, Edward reiterated his government’s call upon the Sudanese authorities to bring the culprits to book.
South Sudanese First Vice President Taban Deng on 23 January issued a statement calling on the Security Council and the African Union to endorse the proposal of the African Union High-Level Panel of 21 September 2012 to hold a referendum on Abyei without the participation of the Misseriya nomads.
According to the Abyei Protocol, the parties have to agree on who is eligible to participate in the referendum but Sudan and South Sudan failed to agree over who would have the right to vote.
(ST)