South Sudan says crisis in Sudan affected Abyei Joint Oversight Committee
May 27, 2022 (JUBA) – South Sudan on Friday said that the political crisis in neighbouring Sudan has affected the activities of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC) which the two countries recently agreed to resume.
The Joint Political and Security Mechanism (JPSM) which promotes security cooperation on common borders agreed in a meeting held in Khartoum to resume AJOC meetings in response to the increasing insecurity and intercommunal attacks in the disputed area.
Kuol Deim Kuol, South Sudan-appointed chief administrator for Abyei told the Sudan Tribune that the committee suspended its meetings after the collapse of the former regime due to the political instability in Sudan
“The situation in Sudan and the political crisis in Khartoum now have taken the whole attention of those who are tasked with the issue of Abyei. These crises have seriously affected the activities of the Joint Abyei Oversight committee,” said Kuol.
“The committee has never held even a single in the last two years after changes took place in Sudan, though the government of the Republic of South Sudan has been talking to the African Union to ensure the activities of the committee resumed,” he further disclosed.
Established in 2011 after clashes between the Sudanese army and the SPLA on the eve of the secession of South Sudan from Sudan, the committee is depicted as a crisis management body tasked to oversee the administration and take responsibility for security issues.
The agreement on the temporary arrangement forming the committee requires it to hold monthly meetings and receives reports, briefings, requests, and calls from the members of the executive council.
Kuol described the Abyei committee as very important because it is a body responsible for political and administrative oversight over the executive council on behalf of the Sudanese and South Sudanese presidents.
“It is a very important mechanism because it submits reports and conducts briefings to the presidents. It provides time guidance and decisions to facilitate the timely and effective implementation of the various agreements as well as the establishment and sustainment of a stable and secure environment in Abyei”, he said.
The resumption of the AJOC activities comes within a series of agreements between the two countries to open borders and enhance security cooperation and transborder trade between local communities on the two sides.
The two countries however still have to form local police to establish joint administration in Abyei.
The Ngok Dinka resist these local administrative structures. Instead, they call for holding a referendum in the border region.
However, Khartoum and Juba failed to reach an agreement on who can participate in this crucial vote.
The developing cooperation between the governments frustrates the Ngok Dinka who also recently suffered attacks from the Twic Dinka following the eruption of an old dispute over Anet, an area between Abyei and Warrap of South Sudan.
.(ST)