Hague court to rule on Sudan’s Abyei region on July 22nd: report

July 10, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague will issue its ruling on the disputed Abyei region between North and South Sudan on July 22nd, according to a newspaper report.

The independent Al-Sahafa newspaper quoting “informed sources” said that the Sudanese embassy in the Netherlands received notification on the date of their decision.

The oil rich region is at the centre of a firestorm between the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).

The proceedings stem from the government’s rejection of the ruling of the Abyei Boundary Commission (ABC), a group of experts whose mandate was to delimit the area of the Nine Ngok Chiefdoms transferred to the administration of Kordofan province in 1905.

The court will determine whether or not the commission exceeded its mandate as the NCP contends and if so they will define the borders of the region.

The SPLM and NCP made oral argument before the court in April and has until end of July to reach a verdict. However, the court can ask for a 90 day extension to complete its work.

The NCP and SPLM have both pledged to honor any decision issued by the court.

Both sides have also said that they are taking precautions to ensure that the ruling will not create unrest or violent backlash among the residents.

The US presidential special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration will travel to Abyei a day before the ruling.

(ST)