Sudan abandons 50-50 power sharing demand for Abyei Administration
March 22, 2013 (JUBA) – The government of Sudan has abandoned demand it has put forward as a condition for forming Joint Interim Administration in the oil producing region of Abyei, which it contests ownership with the newly established state of South Sudan, breaking months of deadlocks and renewing hopes indicative of the possibility of conducting a referendum in the area, an official from South Sudan in the steering Abyei Joint committee had said.
Deng Mading Mijak, a newly appointed Deputy Co-Chairperson of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC), on the side of the Republic of South Sudan, told Sudan Tribune on Friday that a difference over how to allocate and share the legislature and executive powers in the Joint Interim Administration “has been resolved”, leaving the challenge of implementation modalities.
“There is no problem. The difference over how to allocate and share legislature and executive powers has been resolved. The establishment of the interim
administration will be 60% for the South and 40% for the north”, said Mijak. He urged the people of Abyei, who fled the area when it was taken by the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), in 2011, to consider returning home to be registered as eligible voters in the upcoming referendum scheduled to be held later in October.
“I urge our people to return home (Abyei area) in order to be registered so that they can be able to vote at the referendum. They should return now because the referendum which will be conducted in the area will be totally different with the referendum which was held for the South Sudan”, he adds.
Mijak explained that referendum for Abyei will only recognise and accept the voting right of those who will be physically present at the time of conduct of the actual voting in the area defined by the International Court of Arbitration.
“I am calling for the timely return of our people because referendum for Abyei will not be like the one for South where people in the Diaspora where allowed to vote wherever they were around in the world. This one, the referendum for Abyei will be strictly limited to those who will be physically present at the time of conduct of actual voting. These are the people who have a right to vote”, he explained.
The official expressed his gratitude to President Salva Kiir Mayardit for appointment of Edward Lino Wuor Abyei as Co-Chair of the area Joint Committee and himself as his deputy, commending the role played by their predecessor, Luka Biong Deng. He denied that Deng was relieved because of any pressure or differences over how he was handling the issue.
“What comrade Luka Biong had done was exceptionally incredible. He made a lot of tremendous achievements. He laid down a strong foundation. What are left are just small details for implementation? Actually his departure is a great lost but the good thing is that he will be helping us in any way he could wherever he will be”, Mijak explained in an interview.
He further stressed that replacement of Deng with his deputy was “a personal decision” and not because of any failure in the course of executing the assignment given to him by the president.
“No, no. he did not leave because of any pressure or failure in the assignment of the job given to him by the president. It was personal decision because sometimes there are some of the things which a person can decide and can be respected. This is normal”, he said.
But critics of the way Deng handled the case of the area described his relieve as “good ridden”, claiming his replacement will enjoy more public support during implementation process.
“The relief of Luka Biong from the position of the so called Abyei Joint Oversight Committee is a good ridden. We sincerely thank the president for taking such a bold decision. The removal is one of the excellent decisions which our president has ever made for the interest of our people. It was him (Luka) and his cousin Deng Alor who created this position in order to undermine participation of people in matters related to Abyei. You know every well that it was his father who took Abyei to Kordofan and Luka was not a shame to repeat the same mistake by giving away the position of the speaker of the legislative council. Actually they are the ones inviting the National Congress Party to have a say in the joint administration through the so called June 2011 agreement”, Deng Kuol, a native of Abyei told Sudan Tribune at South Sudan Hotel on Friday.
Kuol claimed that he does not see any good reason for which the government of Sudan should be allowed to participate in the Joint Interim Administration because the area interim administration is to facilitate return of the displaced and to oversee conduct of the referendum in the area defined by the July 2009 International Permanent Court of Arbitration, as area belonging to the Nine Ngok Dinka Chiefdom, transferred to Kordofan province in 1905 in central Sudan.
But Deng, in his series of statements to Sudan Tribune late last year, argued the decision to give seat of the legislative council to the government of Sudan during interim period, was made by president Salva Kiir after consultations with the leaders and all other groups from Abyei during which the understanding was reached.
The intention, he said, was to break deadlocks and end deliberate and unjustifiable tricks by the Sudanese government. He explained that strategic objective of the leadership of the South Sudan was to allow conduct of the referendum in the area.
(ST)