S. Sudan’s Kiir urges international intervention in Abyei dispute

April 9, 2013 (JUBA) – South Sudan leader, Salva Kiir has said the young nation’s current deadlock with Sudan over Abyei will only be resolved, if international partners fully engaged the latter into accepting the African Union (AU) proposal on the final status of the disputed region.

“The issue of Abyei is one of the issues which remain unresolved. We have accepted the proposal of the African Union High Implementation Panel, but the other side [Sudan] refused and asked for extra time for engagement, which the AU accepted,” Kiir said at Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony of his Kenyan counterpart, Uhuru Kenyatta.

He said although the young nation accepted the AU proposal, its northern neighbour remained defiant, despite talks between the two countries’ leaders on two separate occasions

Last year, the AU mediation team proposed that a referendum be held in the contested region this October, but that only those residing permanently in the area would be allowed to vote in the plebiscite, and decide whether they want to join Sudan or South Sudan.

This proposal would effectively make the majority of voters come from the Dinka Ngok tribe, aligned with South Sudan, thus putting the Arab Misseriya nomads, who spend several months in Abyei every year grazing, not part of the voting.

According to the mediators, exclusion of the Misseriya nomads, in line with the decision of the Hague-based arbitration court, which defined the territory of the nine Ngok Dinka chiefdoms in July 2009.

However, Sudan swiftly rejected the plan, which received the blessing of the AU Peace and Security Council, suggesting the matter be referred to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to make it binding.

Barnaba Marial, South Sudan’s Information minister told Sudan Tribune Tuesday that Kiir separately met Mwai Kibaki, the outgoing Kenyan leader, and that their meeting was “fruitful”.

“President Salva Kiir Mayardit met President Mwai Kibaki at 4:30pm yesterday [Monday]. It was [a] fruitful meeting. The two leaders discussed at length issues of mutual interests and benefits to the people of the two great nations,” Marial said by phone from the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

The South Sudan leader, the minister added, not only congratulated the Kenyan people over their peaceful elections, but further appreciated the role played by the Kenyan government during the liberation struggle.

Kenya played a key role in the signing of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA); the accord which ended over two decades of a bloody civil war between north and south Sudan.

(ST).