Abyei death toll rises to 8 amid fears of reprisal attacks

July 7, 2010 (ABYEI) – The death toll from Monday’s clashes in the border town of Abyei has risen to eight people and wounded four others amid fears of reprisal attacks in the coming days.

Five people including the commanding police officer from the region have been confirmed dead and another sustained slight injury in the arm. Reports from military sources in the region on the other hand talk of three people killed in the attack and three others wounded.

Thousands of the frightened residents of Tajalei village where the incident occurred were equally seen driving away hundreds of herds of cattle and shoats toward east of the region.

A military officer from the Joint Integrated Units in Abyei, who requested to remain anonymous, in an interview with Sudan Tribune said they have finally gathered information reaching to eight dead and four wounded on both sides.

“The information we have now collected from both sides indicate five police personnel including commanding officer at Tajalei have been killed in the fight and left another slightly wounded in the arm,” he said.

“As for Messeriya, we do not have accurate information as to how many have been killed on their side but there are rumors from members of the Messeriya tribe with us in the joint integrated units that three members from their side have been confirmed dead and other three injured. They are secretly organizing funeral rite tonight in Muglad,” he disclosed.

Asked about military plans and activities in the area as speculations of possible reprisal attacks continues to circulate among the local population in Abyei, he said strong and active joint police and JIU patrol forces supported by the United Nations started since yesterday.

We have [since] yesterday and today conducted air patrols and several ground patrols are ongoing. We have also shown strong physical presence twice today at the border lines. Situation there seems to be returning to normal though there were allegations of gun sounds from the direction of Nyama,” he said.

The neighbors have in the past exchanged fire across what is known as the line of control separating the two regions, but the latest incident occurred in the Tajalei village to the north east of Abyei which rarely experiences trouble. Reports coming out of Abyei have continued to say a sound of a heavy weapon at a village along the Tajalei was heard this morning, hence generating fear of another planed attack in the area soon.

“I have information from local people that they had yesterday evening after the clash ,and again this afternoon, heard sound of heavy machine guns coming out from the direction pointing at Nyama,” said Miyen Alor Kuol, a local official in Abyei town. Nyama is a military outpost hosting members of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) of Brigade 31 that clashed in Abyei with members of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) in May 2008.

The official said Abyei in recent weeks started to experience unprovoked attacks in areas largely inhabited by innocent civilians, mostly women and children with elderly people.

“We are facing unprovoked attack from the Messeriya side for the last two weeks, resulting in the death of two of our police men in the past at Maker Abior village and five on Monday in Tajelei. Our people are forced to fight in self defense but have never retaliated. Maybe this is why they think we cannot launch a retaliatory attack,” he said.

The violence coincided with the visit of the former South Africa president, Thabo Mbeki, who arrived to meet with local administration and representatives of the local council in a bid to assess the situation.

Mbeki, member of the CPA assessment and evaluation committee, was yesterday in Muglad where he spent the whole day meeting with local leaders from members of the Messeriya tribe.

In Abyei on Wednesday he held talks with members of the local administration and local council, chiefs, youth and women representatives as intellectuals from the area. He also held close door meeting with chief administrator, Deng Arop Kuol.

Relations between the two neighbors, who have fought over territorial control since the area was administratively transferred Kordofan in 1905 by late Paramount Chief of Abyei, Deng Kuol, witnessed frails and adaptation of the accusatory tones.

The region which is predominantly pro Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) in the Sudan has long accused the northern ruling party of backing militants fighting police forces in the recent attacks at the borderlines.

(ST)