Obama meets with his special envoy to Sudan, says concerned on Abyei & Darfur

April 1, 2011 (WASHINGTON) — The United States President Barack Obama on Friday expressed “serious concerns” over the situation in Abyei and Darfur at his meeting with the new special envoy to Sudan Princeton Lyman.

“During the meeting, the President outlined his serious concerns over the situation in Abyei and the impact that increased bombings are having on civilians in Darfur,” the White House said in a statement after the meeting.

Lyman was appointed this week to replace Scott Gration who is the president’s nominee for the post of ambassador to Kenya. Gration oversaw the South Sudan referendum process which took place in January and resulted in a near unanimous vote for independence.

However, a number of thorny post-referendum arrangements have yet to be agreed on including the fate of Abyei which lies on the North-South borders.

A referendum was supposed to be held in the area last January but the NCP and SPLM failed to agree on the eligible voters to take part in the plebiscite.

Abyei has seen deadly clashes in the run up to and since the South’s referendum with scores killed. The NCP has maintained that the Arab Misseriya tribe, who enter the region with their livestock for part of the year, should be allowed to vote in the referendum. But the SPLM have rejected this, claiming that the southern-aligned Dinka Ngok are the legitimate constituency in Abyei.

The heavily-armed, Arab cattle-herding tribe were a key proxy militia of Khartoum’s army during the 1983-2005 civil war against southern rebels and now fear their route could be blocked by a new international border.

Yesterday Lyman acknowledged the growing tension in the oil-rich region saying there is a military buildup by both sides.

“It is a very tense situation, because this is taking place with the migration not taking – being blocked, and that creates tension in and of itself. So we have to work on two fronts. We have to try and ease this immediate security problem, but I don’t think we’re going to get the tensions really resolved until the people in Abyei know what’s going to happen to them, and particularly by July. Are they going to remain in the North, are they going to move to the South? Who – and that the Sudanese leadership has to address,” he said.

Obama also noted the situation in Sudan’s Western region of Darfur where the United Nations reported fresh air strikes this week which injured 13 people. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) banned all military flights over Darfur since 2005.

The Sudanese army which have the region’s only air force denied all knowledge of any attacks.

At least 300,000 people have been killed in Darfur and 1.8 million people forced to flee their homes since non-Arab rebels first rose up against the Arab-dominated Khartoum regime in 2003, the United Nations says.

“They discussed the urgency of all parties joining the new opportunities in the Doha Peace Process and of elevating the level of international engagement on Darfur. The President charged Ambassador Lyman, working closely with his Senior Advisor for Darfur Dane Smith, to increase efforts towards achieving a lasting ceasefire and political settlement at Darfur peace negotiations in Doha” the White House said.

The US State department said Lyman will depart on Saturday for meetings in Ethiopia and Sudan on the transition of South Sudan to independence in July.

(ST)