Sudan NCP calls for postponement of Abyei referendum
October 14, 2010 (KHARTOUM) — The northern Sudan ruling party today said it is not possible to hold a referendum on the future of the oil producing region of Abyei as scheduled in next January, and called to negotiate on other alternatives including the delay of January vote.
The Arab nomad tribe of Misseriya who used to graze their cattle in the area and some of them are settled in Abyei Wednesday rejected any political agreement reached between the NCP and SPLM and called for direct tribal talks with Dinka Ngok on the future of the region.
The cattle herders also said no referendum can take place without them, rejecting any compromise on this issue. The SPLM refuses the participation of Misseriya saying the nine chiefdoms or Abyei belongs to the Dinka Ngok.
“It is very obvious that right now it is not possible to hold the referendum in Abyei on January 9. The two parties have agreed on this regard”, said Al-Dirdiri Mohamed Ahmed, a senior NCP member who is in charge of Abyei file on Thursday.
He expressed hopes to reach a settlement on the final status of the area and other outstanding issues between the two sides, adding that the vote will run into a number of problems if it goes ahead on that date.
The other two Sudanese government officials, presidential adviser Salah Abdealla Gosh and minister Jalal Yousef Al-Dagir, told the press that a delay on the date of the referendum can be reached.
Gosh who is the head of the NCP negotiating team in Addis Ababa talks reaffirmed Khartoum commitment to the referendum adding “but we can reach solutions outside the Abyei protocol and it is possible that we agree on delaying the referendum for three or four months”.
Initially as agreed in the protocol Abyei people have to vote on January 9, 2011 on whether they want to remain part of the north or rejoin southern Sudan which can decide on the same day to establish an independent state.
Abyei chief administrator reacted angrily to these statements saying the population of Abyei might take the initiative to organize their own referendum.
“The people in Abyei will have some options, like organising their own referendum and invite the international community to monitor it,” said the head of Abyei administration Deng Arop Kuol, who is also a member of the southern Sudan ruling party, SPLM.
From Washington, the State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said his administration believes “that the referendum can still happen on time, but that does require, when these talks reconvene on October 27, that the parties reach agreement on the Abyei referendum even as they continue working on preparations for the referendum on Southern Sudan”.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon has appointed a three-member panel to monitor the referendum, at the request of the two Sudanese parties. Headed by Benjamin Mkapa, the panel is visiting currently the country to assess the ongoing preparations.
In a meeting held today in New York, the Security Council stressed its support for “the timely holding of the referendum in South Sudan and ensure compliance with all agreements concerning the region”.
US Ambassador to the United Nations told the meeting that the Security Council delegation during its visit to Sudan last week held a meeting with civil society and religious officials. “The mission members had heard more concerns over meeting the tight timetable for the referendum, especially as regarded arrangements in the contended Abyei area, and more concerns that the north was “beating the drums of war”, Ms. Rice said.
(ST)
Angelo Achuil
Sudan NCP calls for postponement of Abyei referendum
“Strength is better than truth” – this is the basis of Messiriya’s claim of Abyei.
For decades, Dinka Ngok had allowed them to come on seasonal basis in search of pasture for their cattle – taking this privileges for granted for so long, they now claim that Abyei (name of a tree in Dinka) belong to them and that they must vote on 2011 Referenudm. on what basis can they vote? On the basis of having roamed around the land for years. What a pathetic claim!
Assuming that I had been living in your house without paying fees for years and one day you are deciding what to do with the house, and I say that you must seek my approval to proceed – what a show of arrogance is that? The only explanation is that I may be literally insane or believes that I am stronger to rob you, period. Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) had made their ruling last year (infavor of Dinka Ngok) after long study of history of Abyei but the Arab Nomads said they won’t hear any of it. What else is left to tell them? Time will tell.
Gatwech
Sudan NCP calls for postponement of Abyei referendum
Dear readears,
The situation about Abyei is potentially dangerous and can reignite the war between north and south any time unless mature decisions are taken by the two parties.
I wonder why people like Dr. Francis Mading Deng, whose grandfather was responsible for trading Abyei to the north in 1905, is not heard of to talk about the future of his ancestral land.
Abyei remains a hotspot and the most highly educated and experienced Abyeans like Dr. Francis Mading Deng should not keep quite and continue to entertain the NCP during this critical phase for Abyei.
Kur William
Sudan NCP calls for postponement of Abyei referendum
Who change the article under CPA that Abyei will not held it referendum simultineaously with South ? If there is any clique having that thought to adjorn the referendum of Abyei to some length of time we will take those gruop of breachin to bury CPA.
Abyei must hold it referendum on time without none Dinka Ngok people whether this process will leader us into terminus of the agreement and cause the war for 100 years we will pay a price.
Anyway we have no big guns to preserve our gold right of Abyei but we will use our forefathers spears to contronts these Arabs criminals from taking over our land and it resoursces.
Conjunction to what Gatwech said in his comment about silence of DR Francis mading Majok have no great effect to secure this move the tactkling of Abyei issues dose not needs persauding words at this tip to fall off. Kur
Mr Point
This is no time to say “there is not enough time”.
The NCP signed this agreement:
Simultaneously with the referendum for Southern Sudan, the residents of Abyei will cast a separate ballot. The proposition voted on in the separate ballot will present the residents of Abyei with the following choices, irrespective of the results of the southern referendum:
? That Abyei retain its special administrative status in the north;
? That Abyei be part of Bahr el Ghazal
There has been six years to prepare for the Abyei referendum. It is too late to say “more time is needed”.
okucu pa lotinokwan
Sudan NCP calls for postponement of Abyei referendum
National Criminal Party are using the poor Misseriya tribe as their escape goat,the Misseriya wait for your death sam 9 know nothing,but those of Dridri and Gondur will escape all these while the poor Misseriya will be the Victim,God forbid.
OKUCU PA LOTINOKWAN
DASODIKO
Sudan NCP calls for postponement of Abyei referendum
The following are the plans of NCP to hamper the CPA implementation through Abyei:
1.The National Congress Party they don’t want seperation of South Sudan, after they discovered that they foooled themselves instead of people of South Sudan as they expected.
2. NCP to say that they gave up impelementing the CPA or will not accept the inevitable session of South Sudan, and they well know the result of such act, then they started giving stupid excuses by role playing which has nothing to do with CPA.
3. At last they want to engage SPLM/A in a war but NCP want the SPLM/A to be the first to begin. Such act will have the following consequences:
a. International community requests to stop hostilities; and this will take weeks or months.
b. SPLM/A will find itself automatically renegociating the CPA.
C. On the other hand the time scheduled for the referandum is also exteneded due to processes of disengagement process.
4. At last resort the NCP will get in war before the deployment of UNSC troops in the boarder between the North and the South Sudan even if the SPLM/A is not willing; because deployment of the forces on the boaders means dead chance for NCP to start proxy war through Arab tribes boadering South Sudan then smooth independent of the South Sudan will take palce.
5.The war before the deployment of forces for the buffer zone at least will give releif for the NCP memebers and people in the north that there might be other things coming like renegicating power sharing with the South. Also at leat passengers of the CPA may miss the train, and then wait to look for another trian with less passengers. Referandum is legalization of the indepenedent of the Spouth Sudan, and if there is another war of boaders coming would be a war between two countries not centeral government and the region as it was to be.
Kiir, SPLM/A leaders watch out men!!!! Blessed are those who fight to get free!!!