UNISFA establishes community protection committee in Northern Abyei Area
July 3, 2022 (DIFFRA) – A community protection committee has been established in Northern Abyei to enhance the rule of law in the absence of the Joint Abyei Police Service as provided in the June 20, 2011 agreement on the Temporary Arrangement for the Administration and Security of the disputed region signed by the governments of Sudan and South Sudan.
More than 700 people gathered in Diffra to witness the inauguration of the community protection committee system in the northern sector of Abyei.
UNISFA’s Acting Head of Mission and Force Commander, Major General Benjamin Olufemi Sawyerr said inauguration of the protection committee was fully endorsed by the traditional leadership and local administration.
He said the inauguration would be closely followed by strengthening of the criminal justice system by bringing on board courts such as traditional courts, among others to handle criminal matters reported at the stations.
Sawyerr urged the new community protection committee members to maintain law and order in the absence of a well-structured police service.
He, however, warned against corruption, high-handedness and brutality, stressing that UNISFA would immediately provide them appropriate basic policing education that would cover such areas as investigation, report writing, rights of detainees, search of suspects and initiative-taking policing.
The UNISFA commander applauded the Sudanese government for accepting and authorizing establishment of the committee in the northern sector.
For her part, UNISFA’s Police Commissioner, Violet Nasambu Lusala said the community protection committee would be the face of UN police in enhancing rule of law in the community in the absence of Abyei Police service.
“Where there is rule of law, there is no hatred or violence but love, peace, and development,” she remarked.
Lusala urged the community protection committee members to play a key role on issues such as sexual and gender-based Violence, cattle rustling and theft and assured of them of the support from the UN Police as well as UNISFA to enable them to successfully conduct their community activities.
The Khartoum-appointed Chief Administrator of Abyei Administrative Area, Gumaa Dawood said committee key to peace and security in the area.
The Representative of the Misseriya Paramount Chief, Aljak Suliman pledged the full cooperation and support of the traditional leadership.
JUBA REJECTS CREATION SEPARATE STRUCTURE IN ABYEI
Meanwhile South Sudan has rejected the creation of a separate structure in Abyei, citing the decision of the 2009 ruling of the court placing Kej also known by the rival nomadic Arab tribe up in the northern part as Diffra.
“The ruling of the court is clear. Kej is within the Abyei box. UNISFA knows this and they should have allowed or allowed themselves to participate in the inaugural of any structure inside the Abyei box”, Deng Alor Kuol, the South Sudanese Minister for East Africa Affairs told Sudan Tribune on Sunday.
Kuol said Sudan was using the internal political crisis as a reason for not engaging in the resumption of the talks proposed by the African Union (AU).
He said Juba would not recognize any other structure outside provisions of the court and what the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) stipulates.
The community protection committee was initially only operational in the southern part of Abyei Area, despite sustained efforts by UNISFA and consistent appeals by successive UNISFA resolutions to have it established in the northern part of the area.
(ST)