Abyei border demarcation team denies SPLM allegations

By Ngor Arol Garan

October 12, 2009 (ABYEI) — Sami Bushara, the Abyei border demarcation technical team leader, today strongly denied charges made against him by Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) team members saying these allegations “do not hold substantial grounds”.

“The allegations made against me by SPLM team members in their report do not carry any meaning or truth considering that I have done nothing to hinder activities of our assignment,” he said.

His remarks come after SPLM members of the technical team directed nine charges against him. The team accused him of having sided with members of Misseriya tribe on a number of issues including security threats to technical team members particularly members from the SPLM side.

He is also accused of having undermined the need to have an assistant from the SPLM side, ignorance of technical advice on the usage of equipments, misled team on availability of machineries before arrival besides claims that he had an approved budget which later appeared not be endorsed by the presidency.

Bushara said that he has mobilized local supports from authorities and chiefs.

“This was why the team had to start meeting local authorities and chiefs from both sides before going to the sites after arrival to Abyei” he said.

“The reason was to encourage and secure their full involvement in the implementation process of the border demarcation, because they are the ones who had lived in the areas being demarcated for years,” he said adding that “they know it better than us”.

However, Bushara acknowledged some of the challenges the team has faced.

“We were faced with logistical problems, security, housing and budget” but stressed these should not be blamed on him.

He said all concerns should be raised with the presidency for possible action “instead of blaming each other”.

“We should be working together as a team not individuals or parties, because we are technical team assigned to do technical work,” he stressed.

“This was why I used to encourage equal participation of team members whenever there was a concern,” he noted.

He revealed that he was in constant contact with presidency consulting and seeking advice on the activities.

“If I was not interested why I have showed such consistent stand on issues?” he posed saying that his ultimate goal was to see successful conduct of the border demarcation.

Bushara said that he had no bias in his coordination of all the related activities.

He also said that did not make any changes to what was agreed upon by the two parties in Khartoum prior to leaving for Abyei in early September.

“As executive secretary, I did not add nor change anything from what was agreed by the parties,” he said.

Last July the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague redefined the boundaries of Abyei which is on the borders of North and South Sudan.

The tribunal awarded North Sudan the area’s key Heglig and Bamboo oilfields placing them in the north Sudan district of Southern Kordofan while giving the south most of the land in the disputed region.

(ST)