Abyei youth group disputes being part of the north

May 17, 2011 (ABYEI) — While thousand of local residents and organized forces in Abyei took part in celebration marking 28th anniversary of inception of the former rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), youth groups used the event to categorically dispute being part of northern Sudan.

“There is nothing that shows we have ever been part of the north. Geographically and culturally we have nothing in common which links us to the north. We are geographically and culturally link to South Sudan where we have our clans and sections. There is nowhere else a Dinka tribe is found in Sudan apart from the South”, explained Deng Majak, an executive member of Abyei Youth Association in an interview with press at Abyei freedom Square on Monday.

Majak said the citizens of Abyei have taken a decision to return to the south and that nobody else can stop them from going to the south. “We have taken a solid decision as community to return to the south. This is a determination which can not be undermined and stopped by anybody else”.

The furious youth, who was speaking to press shortly after delivering his speech, as one of the youth groups allowed to address audiences celebrating SPLA day said South Sudanese can not even dare forgetting Abyei citizens as part of the south by all justifications, saying if he goes to the North he will not find any of his relatives than in the south where he claimed would get them anywhere.

Residents of Abyei were due to hold a separate referendum simultaneously with the Southern Sudan in January to determine whether to become part of the North or South. Attempts to create a referendum commission, however, remain deadlocked, amid feuds between communities in the area over the right to vote.

“Abyei still remains a contentious area which could potentially derail the entire peace process. I urge the CPA [Comprehensive Peace Agreement] parties to take immediate action to calm the tensions in the region and urgently reach an agreement on all outstanding issues,” said Majak

The referendum was seen as the culmination of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended two decades of civil war between the northern and southern Sudan.

Kuol Deng Kuol, a paramount chief in Abyei voiced deep concern at the tension and called on the international community to exert more pressure on the North to stop using Misseriya as curtain to advance political interest and resume and conclude negotiations on Abyei as a matter of priority.

“We have never had any major differences with Misseriya in the past until governments came with politics of tribes and identity. The Misseriya have never claimed being part of Abyei. There have never been land issues between us and the Misseriya. What has been there was peaceful coexistence, in which their cattle use Abyei as passage to the south for grazing every year”, explained chief Kuol.

The Misseriya also from their part, say they had always good relations with the Dinka Ngok of Abyei but allege the ownership of the area.

He deplored the recent incident in which four soldiers from the United Nations Mission in Sudan were attacked and injured by armed groups allegedly identified as members of the Arabic Nomadic tribe of Misseriya.

“The fact that the UN Mission in Sudan which has intensified its patrolling activities on the ground and is on standby to reinforce its peacekeeping presence if the need arises, has been consistently refused access to areas of conflict and considerably restricted in its movement to some areas in the extreme north of Abyei shows that the government of Khartoum is indeed reneging pledges it made to implement the Abyei protocol as per the ruling of the International Court of Arbitration”, he said.

He called on the government of Khartoum to withdraw illegal troops it deployed in Lenger, named by the Misseriya as Goli, and allow UN access to surrounding areas to assess the situation and immediate needs on the ground.

Kuol further welcomed the planned visit of the 15 members of the United Nations Security council to Abyei on 23, May 2011.

“I very much welcome the expected visit of members of the United Nations’ Security Council to Abyei. I welcome their visit in advance because members of the Security Council represent international community”.

“The issue of Abyei is not a simple issue. It is an issue known by the international community. The Abyei protocol was endorsed by the international community when the two parties were not able to reach any consensus on Abyei when talks were underway in Naivasha, Kenya,” he explained.

He said tension in the region has been building between the two sides because of the delayed referendum on the fate of the contested region. He also deplored the displacement of Abyei people to different areas in the south following renewed clashes in late February and early march, 2011.

“You all know most of our people currently under trees in area to which they fled after clashes in which a lot of people were killed and all three villages of Tajalei, Noong, Todac and Maker Abior were burned down. Have you even seen their conditions?”

“Have you ever visited them? Some of them are in Agok. Others have fled to Twic (Warrap State and Abiem (Northern Bahr el Ghazal State). I visited then last week and found them in very bad conditions. They are outside in open areas and under trees in most places even in Agok”.

“Their situations are appalling. I am concerned that without immediate humanitarian assistance the situation of these people, many of whom have been displaced for a second or third time, could reach catastrophic levels,” warned Paramount chief of the oil contested region.

(ST)