Sudan vows to withdraw from Abyei as Juba urges action against Khartoum
October 6, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan has pledged to withdraw its army from the contested region of Abyei following the full deployment of UN peacekeepers as South Sudan urged the UN Security Council to give Khartoum an ultimatum on the issue.
The agreement also authorized the establishment of a UN-mandated force of Ethiopian peacekeepers (UNISFA) to be deployed there for six month to make time for the two neighbors to reach a settlement to the dispute over the border region.
Abyei has been occupied by Sudan’s army since May following clashes allegedly instigated by southern troops.
A spokesman for Sudan’s army (SAF) said on 30 September that their troops would remain in Abyei until UNISFA is fully deployed.
The ambassador of the government of Sudan to the UN, Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman, told the UN Security Council on Thursday that their soldiers would “be pulled out.”
Osman further said that Sudan’s president Omer Al-Bashir and South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir plan to meet on Saturday in Khartoum and would hopefully “solve all remaining problems.”
He however stressed that the pullout must be “in concurrence with the completion of the deployment of Ethiopia forces to avoid a security vacuum.”
UNISFA has managed to deploy 1,780 Ethiopian troops out of a full force of 4,200.
Sudan’s ambassador acknowledged that their failure to withdrawal threatens to escalate tension in view of the onset of the migration season of the northern nomadic herders of Messiryah tribe and the need for the farmers displaced by the fighting to return and plant their crops.
Meanwhile, South Sudan on Thursday called on the UNSC to set a deadline for Sudan to withdraw its troops from Abyei or be “held accountable.”
David Buom Choat, South Sudan’s ambassador to the UN, told a UNSC meeting on Abyei that SAF “must now withdraw immediately and unconditionally from Abyei area.”
“We respectfully request the council to set a deadline for this withdrawal, and to hold whoever violates the deadline accountable,” he added.
Choat further claimed that the South Sudan’s army (SPLA) had withdrawn from Abyei.
The new chief of the UN peacekeeping operations, Herve Ladsous, told the UNSC that neither Sudan nor South Sudan had withdrawn their forces from Abyei as promised.
The dispute over Abyei is deeply rooted in faliure to implement the provisions of the 2005’s Comperhsnive Peace Agreement which ended more than two decades of civil wars between Sudan’s north-south halves and paved the way for South Sudan’s secession in July this year.
Under the CPA, a referendum was supposed to be held in January this year to determine whether Abyei should join the north or the south.
But the two sides failed to agree on criteria for eligibility to vote, with Khartoum insisting that Messiryah be allowed to participate while Juba said only the southern Dinka Ngok tribe should be allowed to vote.
(ST)
Wen Tek
Sudan vows to withdraw from Abyei as Juba urges action against Khartoum
Dear South Sudanese,
The refusal by SAF to withdaraw from Abyei is a clear violation of the accord reached earlier by South Sudan and Sudan.This has been the colour of NIF-now NCP government.They simply agree with you but the agreement remains on a piece of paper.”Many agreements dishonoured” by Abel Alier.
Acuil Deng
Sudan vows to withdraw from Abyei as Juba urges action against Khartoum
What is taken by force “Abyei” should be regained by force as well. Khartoum never listened to Juba, or anybody else. However,our government should start talking the only language that Khartoum understands, which is: hitting the iron while it is hot,and then we can sit down and talk.
deltabravo
Sudan vows to withdraw from Abyei as Juba urges action against Khartoum
To Achuil Deng
I think political language is the solution to such problem. That is how we are going to fight anything concern invasion. Coming to Abyei problem it doesn’t need war to solve it,but peace, because we don’t want our people to die for what we already know it will be solve. We lost alot of Southerners and we still losing them through Cattle rustling. It does not make any senses at all.
mafitabu
Sudan vows to withdraw from Abyei as Juba urges action against Khartoum
SPLA OYEE,
Abyei is ours. God is great.
Abyei Soil
Sudan vows to withdraw from Abyei as Juba urges action against Khartoum
I agree with Acuil, you know we have taken a number of steps trying to solve Abyei problems yet nothing is solving itself. I think we made no mistake to sabotage the society in long run, why should we be subjected to this mess?
BOTH NGUOT
Sudan vows to withdraw from Abyei as Juba urges action against Khartoum
peaceful majors has to be done
it seem some are supporting the war as the means to solve the problem of ABYEI. let’s go back to the long civil war which took place between south and north Sudan. the forces were used first but, at the end the two power came and settle the disputes in a peaceful manner that result to our independent.
Lastly,,through the court of arbitration,the problem will be solv