Obama meets with his special envoy to Sudan, says concerned on Abyei & Darfur
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April 1, 2011 (WASHINGTON) — The United States President Barack Obama
on Friday expressed "serious concerns" over the situation in Abyei and
Darfur at his meeting with the new special envoy to Sudan Princeton
Lyman.
JPEG - 38 kb
United States President Barack Obama (R) during his meeting special
envoy to Sudan (L) April 1, 2011 (White House)
"During the meeting, the President outlined his serious concerns over
the situation in Abyei and the impact that increased bombings are
having on civilians in Darfur," the White House said in a statement
after the meeting.
Lyman was appointed this week to replace Scott Gration who is the
president’s nominee for the post of ambassador to Kenya. Gration
oversaw the South Sudan referendum process which took place in January
and resulted in a near unanimous vote for independence.
However, a number of thorny post-referendum arrangements have yet to
be agreed on including the fate of Abyei which lies on the North-South
borders.
A referendum was supposed to be held in the area last January but the
NCP and SPLM failed to agree on the eligible voters to take part in
the plebiscite.
Abyei has seen deadly clashes in the run up to and since the South’s
referendum with scores killed. The NCP has maintained that the Arab
Misseriya tribe, who enter the region with their livestock for part of
the year, should be allowed to vote in the referendum. But the SPLM
have rejected this, claiming that the southern-aligned Dinka Ngok are
the legitimate constituency in Abyei.
The heavily-armed, Arab cattle-herding tribe were a key proxy militia
of Khartoum’s army during the 1983-2005 civil war against southern
rebels and now fear their route could be blocked by a new
international border.
Yesterday Lyman acknowledged the growing tension in the oil-rich
region saying there is a military buildup by both sides.
"It is a very tense situation, because this is taking place with the
migration not taking – being blocked, and that creates tension in and
of itself. So we have to work on two fronts. We have to try and ease
this immediate security problem, but I don’t think we’re going to get
the tensions really resolved until the people in Abyei know what’s
going to happen to them, and particularly by July. Are they going to
remain in the North, are they going to move to the South? Who – and
that the Sudanese leadership has to address," he said.
Obama also noted the situation in Sudan’s Western region of Darfur
where the United Nations reported fresh air strikes this week which
injured 13 people. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) banned
all military flights over Darfur since 2005.
The Sudanese army which have the region’s only air force denied all
knowledge of any attacks.
At least 300,000 people have been killed in Darfur and 1.8 million
people forced to flee their homes since non-Arab rebels first rose up
against the Arab-dominated Khartoum regime in 2003, the United Nations
says.
"They discussed the urgency of all parties joining the new
opportunities in the Doha Peace Process and of elevating the level of
international engagement on Darfur. The President charged Ambassador
Lyman, working closely with his Senior Advisor for Darfur Dane Smith,
to increase efforts towards achieving a lasting ceasefire and
political settlement at Darfur peace negotiations in Doha" the White
House said.
The US State department said Lyman will depart on Saturday for
meetings in Ethiopia and Sudan on the transition of South Sudan to
independence in July.
(ST)
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