Residents of disputed Abyei Region express support for government stand

BBC Monitoring Middle East

By Al-Anba daily newspaper

KHARTOUM, Nov 01, 2003 — Leaders from the Al-Masiriya tribe have asked the government to stick to its position in rejecting to relinquish the Abyei Region in favour of the demands by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement [SPLM] at the peace talks, which calls for the inclusion of the region in the southern Sudan bid to seek the right of self determination, as done by other southern states.

Several distinguished political personalities both from the government and the opposition belonging to the Al-Masiriya tribe whose population dominates the Abyei Region, criticized the SPLM at a crowed meeting at federal governing office the day before yesterday.

They strongly called for the affiliation of the area to Western Kordofan State