Sudan accuses S. Sudan of obstructing Abyei oversight commission
November 14, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – Head of the Sudanese committee for the administration of Abyei area Hassan Ali Nimir has accused South Sudan of obstructing meetings of the oversight committee on the disputed region.
Ownership of Abyei, a disputed border region contested by Sudan and South Sudan, remained contentious after the world’s youngest nation split from Sudan in July 2011.
There is no joint administration between Sudan and South Sudan, as the Ngok Dinka refuse the formation of Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC). Instead, they call to hold a referendum without the Sudanese pastoralist Misseriya.
Now, there are two committees one for the Misseriya appointed by the Sudanese government and another for the Ngok Dinka appointed by Juba government.
The two committees are currently holding their 12th meeting from 14 to 15 November in Addis Ababa under the auspices of the African Union.
In his address before the meeting Monday, Nimir accused South Sudan government of disrupting the work of the AJOC by unilaterally suspending participation in its meetings.
According to Ashorooq TV, Nimir added the continued delay of the AJOC meetings indicates that Juba doesn’t seek to achieve a final solution for the issue of Abyei which constitutes a clear violation for the 2011 agreement.
For his part, the head of the Sudanese committee for the administration of Abyei Deng Arob has dismissed Nimir’s allegations, saying his country has not obstructed the meetings of the AJOC.
On the other hand, the African Union representative Mishoko Mohatli has urged both parties to make some progress and constructively cooperate with the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).
On 30 May 2017, after more than two years of suspension, the two AJOC parties held an extraordinary session convened by the African Union. The latter urged them to commit to a functioning Joint Oversight Committee as a forum in which contentious issues could be addressed.
Also, the two parties signed an outcome document, in which they agreed that they would resume bimonthly meetings and that the next meeting would be held in the last week of July in Addis Ababa. But since they didn’t meet again.
On 27 June 2011, the Security Council, by its resolution 1990, responded to the urgent situation in Abyei by establishing the UNISFA.
UNISFA’s establishment came after Sudan’s government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) reached an agreement in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to demilitarise Abyei and let Ethiopian troops monitor the area.
The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) provides that the contested territory remains part of the north until the organisation of a referendum determines its fate.
The difference over who will participate in the referendum prevents the two countries from holding the agreed referendum.
However, the Dinka Ngok organised a unilateral referendum from 27 to 29 October 2013 to say they want to join the Republic of South Sudan.
Khartoum, Juba, the African Union and the international community refused to recognise the outcome of the vote.
(ST)