Sudan says certain circles trying to escalate Abyei issue
June 4, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has accused unspecified parties of seeking to escalate the situation in the disputed Abyei border region by creating a climate which suggests the failure of Khartoum and Juba to arrive at an agreed solution and hence pave the way for international intervention.
The NCP official stressed that international partners should respect the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and pointed that his party is committed to a solution based on the Abyei protocol warning that an escalation would hurt both parties.
Sideeg further said that Abyei issue is not only confined to the Arab Misseriya tribe, but is of interest to all Sudanese people who must participate in its development and support all its residents describing it as a “nation’s issue”.
As part of the CPA, residents of Abyei had been scheduled to hold a referendum on the status of the fertile, oil-producing area in January 2011, but Khartoum’s demand that the Misseriya nomads, who enter the region for part of the year seeking pasture for their cattle, also be allowed to participate has led to a stalemate over the emotive issue.
The AU has proposed that the plebiscite take place in October but with only permanent residents permitted to vote, effectively excluding the Misseriya from participating.
This has been rejected by the Khartoum as the Southern-aligned Ngok Dinka would be expected to overwhelmingly vote in favour of returning Abyei to South Sudan.
Tensions in Abyei escalated last month after the killing of Dinka Ngok paramount chief Kuol Deng Kuol.
Kuol,was killed during following a standoff that lasted for several hours with armed members of the Misseriya who claimed that the Dinka Ngok chief was passing through their land without permission.
South Sudan accused Khartoum of standing behind the killing and filed a complaint with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in this regard.
(ST)