Official referendum will maintain Abyei in Sudan, Nafie says

November 2, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese presidential assistant Saturday announced that the outcome of an official referendum his government intends to organise in the disputed area of Abyei would show that the majority support maintaining the region in Sudan.

Nafie who was speaking at Khartoum airport after his return from Azerbaijan told reporters that the upcoming referendum would prove that the Ngok Dinka are much less important in number than Abyei residents from north Sudan.

“I do not mean the Misseriya only because Abyei in inhabited by different Sudanese tribes, he further added, stressing “all will know that this area belongs to north Sudan”.

Nafie also accused Deng Alor and what he called “sons of Abyei” of organising this unilateral vote.

He said Azerbaijan, which is currently a member of the UN Security Council, contributed to the decision of the 15 member body to reject the outcome of this unofficial referendum.

According to the results announced on 31 October by the organisers of the Ngok Dinka referendum over 99% of the voters said yes to join South Sudan.

Khartoum and Juba said not concerned by this vote which is seen as illegal by the African Union.

The two countries however failed to reach an agreement over who can participate in the official referendum agreed in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005. Nafie also did not allude to when such referendum would take place.

The co-chair of Abeyi steering committee from the Sudanese side, Al-Khair Al-Faheem, said in separate statements that the future of the disputed region would not be determined by the referendum organised by a group of the Ngok Dinka.

“The fate of Abyei cannot be sealed by 65,000 people who claim participated in an official referendum while there are more than 85,000 Misseriya residing the area besides more than one million pastoralist nomads”, Al-Faheem said in an interview with the private Ashorooq TV.

He also praised the position of the South Sudanese government and its rejection to recognise the outcome of this vote.

The African Union Peace and Security condemned the unilateral referendum and asked the two countries to form a joint administration and police force there before to reach an agreement over the organisation of a referendum based the proposition of the African Union mediation.

The former South African president Thabo Mbeki who chairs the panel proposed in September 2012 to hold a referendum where only the Ngok Dinka can vote. But Khartoum rejected this proposition.

(ST)