Dinka, Misseriya administrate Abyei chamber of commerce
April 16, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Over 80 Misseriya and Dinka traders from Abyei joined together under a single Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber will look after the welfare of the traders, liaise with the authorities, advise on tax spending, and serve as the leading body on major projects related to health, education, water, sanitation, electricity, roads, and market access.
The establishment of the Abyei Chamber of Commerce was initiated and facilitated by the Recovery and Rehabilitation Programme (RRP) that aims to bring peace dividends to the people of Sudan.
The Abyei RRP is part of the Sudan Recovery and Rehabilitation Programme, the largest and most comprehensive recovery programme in Sudan serving up to 800,000 Sudanese in ten states across north and south Sudan. This recovery initiative focuses on building the capacity of local government administrations and strengthening institutions, improving livelihoods, and supporting basic services.
The three-year programme is funded by the European Commission with an allocation of 54 million Euro, and managed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on behalf of the Government of National Unity (GoNU) and the Government of South Sudan (GoSS).
The Abyei Chamber of Commerce is made up of 55 members, and an executive body of 11 board members and seven technical members, all selected through an election process, and currently undergoing administrative training.
The Chamber has been recognized as an official branch of the GoSS Chamber of Commerce, and is currently registering with the South Kordofan state government and Warrap.
Encouraging the union of the Dinka and Misseriya trader communities, the administrative unit of Abyei donated a plot of land that the European Commission funded RRP will help to construct the chamber’s headquarters.
As per the 2004 Protocol on the resolution of conflict in Abyei, “ Abyei is a bridge between the north and the south, linking the people of Sudan . The territory is defined as the area of the nine Ngok Dinka chiefdoms transferred to Kordofan in 1905. The Misseriya and other nomadic peoples retain their traditional rights to graze and move across the territory of Abyei.”
Since 2005, the area has become a gateway for returnees, especially for Dinka Ngok and Twic people. Tens of thousands of returnees have resettled in Abyei, and about nine new villages have been re-established whilst several markets have either expanded or opened. However, due to the many years of conflict, Abyei area still suffers from the lack of access to basic social services such as drinking water, schools and health facilities making the resettlement process very challenging for the returning population.
In addition to facilitating the establishment of the Chamber of Commerce, the Abyei RRP has initiated other peace-building efforts. The programme has led a joint mission, inviting representatives from the GoNU, GoSS, UNICEF, and other UN agencies and NGOs working in Abyei to discuss urgent issues related to education in the area. As a result, the GoSS and GoNU agreed on the curriculum and adopted a budget for 2007.
Since the mission, the GoSS has provided 3500 school furniture items including stools, desks, and cupboards to Abyei which the RRP is helping to distribute. In addition, the joint mission allowed the Abyei RRP to send 14 teachers to a 10-day training session in Malakal.
The Abyei RRP is carried out by a consortium of NGOs including Mercy Corps, Save the Children US, Goal Ireland, and the Abyei Community Action for Development. The programme is working to construct four new primary health centers and six schools, install 36 boreholes with hand-pumps, provide vocational training, and build a number of sanitation and latrine systems.
(ST)