Kiir, Burhan to prioritise final status of Abyei, says official
October 28, 2022 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir and the Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereign Council Sudan, Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan have pledged commitment to peacefully resolve the final status of Abyei, an official told Sudan Tribune.
South Sudan’s security affair advisor, Tut Gatluak Manime said he held discussions with Sudanese authorities and relevant institutions on ways of resolving Abyei’s final status.
“There is now a momentum to engage on the way forward. The engagements we have had over the past few days with the leaders and other relevant institutions and stakeholders in Sudan represent a window of opportunity to resolve the final status of Abyei peacefully and amicably. This is in line with the vision and policy of the government of South Sudan and Sudan,” he explained.
Manime said both Kiir and Al-Burhan have vowed to prioritise the issue of Abyei region.
The two leaders, he further disclosed, agreed to reactivate joint mechanisms to bolster trade, deepen efforts to realize and strengthen bilateral cooperation and promote peace, security and stability through structural prevention of conflicts in the disputed region.
The security advisor was in Khartoum to deliver Kiir’s special message to Al-Burhan.
“A lot has been achieved by this visit. One achievement is that joint mechanism resumed their activities. There will now be communication so that when there is an issue, the mechanism will be able to identify the cause and accelerate it to the leadership level for immediate intervention,” he told Sudan Tribune.
Manime lauded Kiir’s decision to appoint a negotiating team on Abyei and Al-Burhan’s willingness to engage in discussions with the South Sudanese team that visited Sudan.
Such a gesture, he said, demonstrates commitment to peace and security in the region.
“The appointment of the team on the final status of Abyei demonstrates the desire of the President of the Republic of South Sudan, Gen Salva Kiir Mayardit, the Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereign Council, and his deputy Gen Mohamed Hamdan Daglo to work together in pursuing peace, security by ensuring that we have a safe border necessary for the economic and social development of both our people,” stressed Manime.
He added, “They have adopted a policy and set goals aimed at ensuring that we do not allow negative forces and groups to operate in our areas”.
Abyei is an area on the border between South Sudan and the Sudan that has been accorded special administrative status by the 2004 Protocol on the Resolution of the Abyei Conflict in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended Sudan’s civil war.
Under terms of the Abyei Protocol, which was part of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, residents of Abyei have been declared, on an interim basis, to be simultaneously citizens of Sudan’s West Kordofan State and South Sudan’s Northern Bahr el Ghazal State until Abyei’s permanent status is determined through a referendum.
(ST)