Abyei Invasion: One year of agony
By Luka Biong Deng
It was on the 20th May 2011 in Addis Ababa when I was attending the post-secession negotiation and the parties agreed on most of the issues except oil and status of Abyei area. In the early morning of 21st May 2011, we received the shocking news that the Sudan Armed Forces invaded Abyei and almost the entire population (about 150,000) of Abyei area were on run for safety and security. President Bashir without remorse stated on the national TV that he had given green light to invade Abyei and his Minister of Defence together with Governor of Southern Kordofan orchestrated the execution of the invasion order. Early that morning I shared with Pagan Amum, Deng Alor, my wife and others my intention of resigning from the national government.
When I was writing my resignation letter I was reflecting the suffering inflicted on the people of Abyei for the second time after the May 2008 incident, I connected it well with the same suffering experienced by people of Darfur, Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile.
During that night I clearly saw how Africans in Sudan have been subjected to indignation and ethnic cleansing policy adopted by small ruling clique in Khartoum and such policy became apparent under the current Islamic regime. In my resignation letter I stated to President Bashir that “Looking up to Your Excellency as national leader and symbol of our nation, I saw how the issue of Darfur and Abyei and your prejudice against African groups reduced you to symbolize only Arab ethnic groups in the Sudan.”
I reiterated also in my resignation letter to President Bashir that “The barbaric attacks of civilians in Abyei area that resulted in massive displacement of thousands of people and loss of their livelihoods have added the people of Abyei to the list of the people who greatly suffered from war crimes under your leadership.” I also echoed in my resignation letter that “I am afraid, Mr. President that the people of Sudan will remember you as leader who fought his own people but with a record in causing enormous human suffering and injustice that resulted in disintegration of Sudan.”
In fact the International Criminal Court (ICC) was not at all wrong to indict President Bashir, his minister of defence and governor of Southern Kordofan state as these people have consistently committed the same Darfur atrocities in Abyei, Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile. In my two-hours meeting with ICC Prosecutor Mr. Okambo in the Hague, Netherlands after the invasion of Abyei, I brought to his attention full account of carnage committed by Bashir, his minister of defense and governor of Southern Kordofan in Abyei area.
He agreed with me that such records strengthened the case against the indicted persons in Sudan who continue to commit the same mayhem against the people of Sudan. It is a matter of time that Bashir will soon be behind bars in the Hague, the Netherlands and his Friday prayers that are held where he committed crimes against humanity will end up soon in his cell in the Hague where he will face justice and Sudan and the region will then be at peace.
Immediately after invasion of Abyei, I rushed to Abyei area in the third day and I saw the waves of people still on move in rains to the neigbouring states of Warrap, Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Western Bahr el Ghazal. The communities in these states, despite their difficult conditions, provided enormous assistance to the displaced persons from Abyei area.
I remembered an inspiring incident when a priest in the Catholic Church in Mayen Abun stopped the renovation in the church and opened the entire church to accommodate the displaced people during the rains. Immediately after the invasion of Abyei area, the people of the South in the ten states came out in peaceful demonstration against the brutal invasion of Abyei area. Besides these peaceful demonstrations, the churches, mosques, civil society organizations, women, youth, traders and governments at all levels in South Sudan mobilized emergency relief items to show their solidarity to their aggrieved people of Abyei area. I have never seen an issue that galvanized a united stand of the people of the South like Abyei as it is seen as part and parcel of the South.
As we commemorated the sacrifices of our people during the invasion of Abyei on 21st May 2011, peaceful demonstrations were organized in Agok, Washington, Wau and Juba to remind ourselves and the world about the scandalous atrocities inflicted by Bashir on the people of Abyei. The people of Abyei should designate the 21st of May on their calendar to remember every year the human agony and suffering caused by Bashir.
Within one year of the invasion of Abyei, the lives of 150,000 people have been put at risk with great human suffering. In their IDPs camps in Warrap, Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Western Bahr el Ghazal states the level of malnutrition is extremely high but there are more cases of death particularly among the children and elderly. Almost about 30,000 households lost all their belongings and their livelihoods and Abyei town and villages north of Kiir River remain in ruins. In fact the entire area of Abyei got looted and burnt down by Bashir and his forces. One would have wished the UN Security Council to assess and investigate the human suffering caused by Bashir in Abyei area than opting paradoxically to assess and investigate the economic damages in Panthou (Heglig).
The Kush conducted trauma survey among the Ngok Dinka in Abyei area and the results showed a very high level of trauma, particularly among the women. This clearly shows not only the human suffering caused by the invasion but also the psychological suffering being experienced by the people of Abyei. In my recent meeting with community leaders of Abyei in Wau to brief them about the political development in the area, some elders were unable to express themselves in words but in tears. I was moved and stunned about the level psychological suffering experienced by the people of Abyei.
Socially and because of displacement, families are separated and most of them are experiencing for the first time the food aid that is sometimes distributed in undignified way and that made some people to refrain from lining up for food aid distribution. In terms of physical, psychological and social suffering, one could say that Bashir caused agony and enormous human suffering that will continue to haunt people of Abyei for generations to come.
Despite this human suffering, the people of Abyei are determined to change their lives for better. I went to a primary school in Agok and I was shocked to find school of three classrooms housing 4,100 children with trees becoming their classrooms even during the rains. The schools are in appalling conditions and lack basic facilities including chalks that are improvised with local available materials including the use of waste of hyena.
When the results of primary school were announced in a big ceremony in Agok, the level of students who passed examination was 65 percent a remarkable achievement in the current conditions faced by people of Abyei. Such level of pass was even higher in the displaced camps reaching as high as 88 percent. Around Abyei town and far areas north of Kiir River, more than 10,000 people, particularly women, returned to their original home areas despite lack of services and humanitarian assistance and high presence of Arab nomads.
The UN agencies decided not to assist the returnees to the north of Kiir River and only the UN Ethiopian forces are assisting the returnees with provision of drinking water as well as assisting them in building their huts and clearing of their farms. Some NGOs such as MSF are providing limited humanitarian assistance to the returnees in the north of Kiir River. Kush with US Disaster Relief Aid managed to distribute quality standard tents to more than 500 households who returned to their original areas in north of Kiir River.
World Food Programme has managed to distribute food for about 70,000 persons south of Kiir River and we hope that they will extend their services to the returnees north of Kiir River as people are determined to cultivate this year and to get rid of food aid next year. In response to the national mobilization call by President Salva Kiir to protect the territory and sovereignty of the South, the people of Abyei despite their appalling conditions contributed among other items with 100 oxen, a contribution that exceeded the expectations and considered to be one of the highest in the South.
One would say that despite this human suffering the people of Abyei remain as always determined to struggle to survive with dignity and to protect their land for a better future for generations to come. I am confident that one day Abyei will provide an exemplary model for peace building, people-led development and promotion of good relations between South Sudan and Sudan.
Luka Biong Deng is a senior member of the SPLM and a Co-Chair of Abyei Joint Oversight Committee.