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Sudan Tribune

Plural news and views on Sudan

Foreign arbitration over Abyei was needless

By Dr. James Okuk

July 29, 2009 — The ruling of The Hague based International Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) over the disputes between SPLM and NCP about the ABC demarcations and mandate did not amuse me because it was needless, it is useless and it will be hopeless for the goodness of the very needy people of Abyei Area (the Ngok Dinka, Misseriya, and etc).

This ruling has only resolved temporarily the geographical coordinates of the physical map, but not the real human challenges of the majority of Abyei Area residents. The money, time and human lives wasted on this contention could have been spent on better deeds for peace-building and sustainable development in Abyei Area.

I did not celebrate the news of the PCA ruling over Abyei Area because it offered nothing good to the suffering people living there in particular, to the poor people of Southern Sudan in general, and even to the marginalized people of the Sudan at large. This ruling subtracted nothing from the pressing negative realities that have been disturbing the masses who inhabit the Abyei Area, abject poverty and backwardness.

The status quo remains and will still remain despite the professional arbitration over Abyei Area by the self-enriching international judges of the PCA. No real peace and no sincere development will be seen in Abyei Area because the so-called political leaders who control government powers and wealth in the Sudan do not, and will not care for anything good except their selfish gains from the conflict over Abyei Area. The quarrels that they have had over Abyei Area were not for the improvement of the life opportunities of the poor people who live there, but only for grabbing the ‘Oil Money’ and other bloody benefits that are gleaned from the lucrative resources available in the Area.

What makes the PCA ruling agonizing is that the international community just urged (diplomatically) the two native CPA partners to respect and implement the ruling; nothing else has been said beyond this. In fact, the required commitment is to promote the reputation of the PCA so that its judges, lawyers and lobbyists could make more money from similar kinds of ruling in future, using Abyei Area case as a ‘successful’ legal precedent. But the hard fact remains; the common good of the Abyei Area residents have not and will never be the sole concern of the PCA and the International Community. Their concern will continue to be how to ship the ‘Blood Oil’ and other valuables located underneath in Abyei Area to Industrial Countries in the West and the East.

What difference does it make when it is said at an international court that Abyei Area belongs to the Nine Ngok Dinka Chieftaincies when it was already known at the traditional local courts that the Area belonged to them, given the history of their ancestors and how they became the best brothers and sisters to the nomadic Misseriya Arab tribe in that bridging territory between the North and South of the Sudan?

Will the international legal affirmation of this ‘Sense-of-Belonging’ change the living standard of the poor people who continuous to linger in poverty and other social insecurities in Abyei Area? I do not think so nor am I optimistic for a better future for them under the current bad leadership and governance in the Sudan, especially the SPLM whose cadre is the Chief Administrator of Abyei Area.

I have no doubt that the poor people (be they Dinka Ngok, Arab Misseriya or whoever is defined legally to be a resident of Abyei) will continue to live in primitive huts without clean water and sanitary facilities. They will continue to move on bad roads. Their children will continue to learn in poor schools or even not get formal education at all. They will continue to live without adequate hospitals and veterinaries. And they will continue to live with lack or insufficiency of all other basic amenities needed for dignified human life despite the declaration by the PCA that Abyie Area belongs to Ngok Dinka with recognition of existence of other residents in the Area. Perhaps the only sign of better infrastructure over there will continue to be the tall Muslim Mosque in the centre of Abyei’s market where both the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya go to pray five times a day, and go to listen to Imams’s sermons one time on Fridays.

I am emphasizing “other residents” here because the PCA ruling was about geographical boundaries only and not about the nature and identity of the people located therein. In fact, and I repeat, the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration over Abyei Area disputes was just needless, is just useless and will never restore the good hopes of the people who have been bearing the burdens of living over there. I am sorry to sound a cynic here but this is the real case after all.

Dr. James Okuk is a concerned Southerner and a recently PhD awarded candidate in the University of Nairobi. He can be reached at [email protected].

6 Comments

  • Lokorai
    Lokorai

    Foreign arbitration over Abyei was needless
    Dr. James,

    Welcome! We missed you!!!

    Lokorai

    Reply
  • Junta
    Junta

    Foreign arbitration over Abyei was needless
    No Wonder it’s the negatively changed James Okuk Playing the negative Politics of Demonization and negative publicity of SPLM/DC copied from her politicaland economic bed fellow NCP. If you say By declaring Abyei as area on Nine Ngok Dinka by PCA is not something worth celebrating, the settle Messeriya in your Doleip, Malakal Shilukfor 50 years then you come to me or my grand son to narrate how it feels to have such nasty fellows in your backyard.

    Reply
  • Andrew Ater REECH
    Andrew Ater REECH

    Foreign arbitration over Abyei was needless
    Dr Okuk

    in ur own words

    “What difference does it make when it is said at an international court that Abyei Area belongs to the Nine Ngok Dinka Chieftaincies when it was already known at the traditional local courts that the Area belonged to them, given the history of their ancestors and how they became the best brothers and sisters to the nomadic Misseriya Arab tribe in that bridging territory between the North and South of the Sudan?”

    but u know what mr bashir said that the ABC report has no value to them.
    so what do you think to be a response to that statement.

    i think the wise men seek peaceful solution otherwise it could have resulted in an all-out war.

    Reply
  • braveheart
    braveheart

    Foreign arbitration over Abyei was needless
    Hey congrat on your recent PhD accomplishment. I found that out on Southsudannation.Com. Way to go!!

    Reply
  • Joseph Dut Gak
    Joseph Dut Gak

    Abyei coup by NCP will Southern Sudanese Allow?
    Could he be enthroned as of Sudan and Arab King ?

    Those incessant are of no helps due to their nature of grouped based line
    Task force, these numerous indications convey very strong message to
    Southern Sudanese people our struggles should not based on laggard system
    Ideological methods, we not will based our selves on the payroll lists as the ways
    Forward than that is very big mistake.
    If we can understand the comments made by Egyptian foreign minister
    That south to break way from north will makes constant internal conflicts
    And poverty and compared with comments made by senior official from
    National congress party that the court ruling on Abyei is the victory for them
    It means a lot if one can interpreted, the man was talking only about the
    Land and resources it contains not the ordinary people of Abyei in additions
    To the comments made by president Bashir him self that referendums will not
    Be for the Dinka Ngok alone that is very sensitive and flammable for the head of
    State to make such statement if the man loves peace.

    If we are thinking realisably to equated his comments it means the numerous than
    What we are thinking and expected from the head of state man .
    It mean was the only manipulations and fusty embankment system which could makes
    Average man to get himself in wrong directions aftermath.

    Because you not can be part of the opinions mandate when outsiders impossible
    And “we can be proud of it” Mr President was make it if there is no within to outer
    Resistance when Abyei people to expressed their next generation opinions if that are
    To happened that Mr Bashir will be enthroned as the king of kings in Arabs world because that could be second coup in Sudan since he overthrow the constitutions in 1989 , because if Arab Misseriya. also voted during referendums that will manipulated never happened on earth where human kind prevails their right and dignity the number against Dinka Ngok from north and could be other coming of
    People (makes pardon I heard that they not need to hear the coming of Arabs).

    Those who known Arabs and their Arabism can well interpreted ,when an Arab try to Makes something like suggestions that si the advance plans do not considered to be something new when they says something we need to have many answers for it .

    Those who are still talking about CPA we have to make our uses of it here in south
    And we have thinks wisely for our land not money , money can be acquired and easy
    To get but to acquires land is very expensive it costs life it self ,they know it very well that Southern are breaking away from North and they have numerous plans against any single step these plans has mains two parts

    The money to uses own ways
    The use of forces for any resistance

    Dut Gak ,
    medical Student and can be reached
    [email protected]
    [email protected]

    Reply
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