North and South Sudan resolved to withdrawal of forces in Abyei
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May 9, 2011 (ABYEI)- Signatories of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement
(CPA) on Monday agreed to the withdrawal of all unauthorised forces
from the oil-rich, contested region of Abyei.
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A UN position is seen on April 17, 2011, close to the restive town of
Abyei, close to the Sudanese north-south border. (Getty)
The Abyei region, on the border between north and South Sudan, has
recently been subject to blood violence. There have been accusations
that militias operating in the area are sponsored by the government of
north Sudan. Both governments have recently increased their military
presences in the region, while the fate of the region remains
undecided and South Sudan is yet to officially declare its
independence.
The CPA was signed by the National Congress Party (NCP) of north Sudan
and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) of the South in
2005. It saw the end of more than two decades of civil. A stipulation
of the CPA was the right for the South Sudanese to vote on
independence. In January of 2011 South Sudanese all over the world
voted in favour of secession in the plebiscite. The Republic of South
Sudan will be officially declared a state in February 2011.
In an attempt to prevent the tension from escalating into large scale
violence, the South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir sent a high level
delegation under the minister of regional cooperation, Deng Alor Kuol
and Stephen Dhieu Dau, minister of trade and industry in the
Government of South Sudan (GoSS) to Abyei on 8 May 2011.
Maj. Gen. Tag Eldeen Alzein Ahmed and Maj. Gen. Mac Paul Koul Awor
signed the agreement to withdraw troops between 10-17 May on behalf of
Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA)
respectively in accordance with the Kadugli Agreements of 13 and 17
January 2011.
Speaking at a public briefing in Abyei town on Monday, Alor said the
two parties have resolved to allow the withdrawal of illegal forces
and that Joint Integrated Units (JIU) in coordination with forces
belonging to the UNMIS would take charge of the Security of the area.
JIU are troops made up from the SPLA of South Sudan and the SAF from
the north. The formation of the JIU was a stipulation of the CPA. It
allows both signatories to maintain a military presence in the
contested borderlands.
"On our side, the SPLM and GoSS remains committed to seeking an honest
way to settle the issue of Abyei. The issue of Abyei must be
resolved," said Alor, announcing that illicit forces in Abyei would be
withdraw, with immediate effect. Alor said President Kiir has once
again called on the citizens of Abyei to exercise patience, to allow
the SPLM to follow the legal procedures to address unresolved
differences over the area with the NCP and that “the issue of Abyei
would be soon solved before independence of South Sudan".
Alor added that the delegation had come with a military technical
committee to represent the South to “verify and ensure immediate
withdrawal of these forces”.
UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), which coordinated the process, commended
the compromises reached by the two parties, to allow withdrawal from
the area saying UN hopes to see commitments made by the parties are
translated into action.
"This is a good start and a wise decision. We in the United Nations
system commend the two parties for reaching a consensus and we hope
these promises are translated into practical actions because the issue
of Abyei is important in the peace process," said UNMIS Force
Commander Maj. Gen. Moses Obi said in media briefing at UNMIS camp on
Monday. He was chairing the Abyei Joint Technical Committee which
issued a press release on the subject on 8 May.
The parties agreed to withdraw the unauthorised forces following a
clash involving members of the SAF component of the JIU and local
police forces over the supply of weapons, on 1 May 2011, in which 14
people were killed and several injured.
The Abyei chief administrator Deng Arop Kuol in an interview with
Sudan Tribune on 5 May 2011 described the incident as a political
attempt by Khartoum to invade the area.
The clash also followed Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir inflammatory
remarks; he was quoted as saying Abyei belonged to the north and will
remain part north. Bashir also threatened to wage against the south if
the SPLM attempt to annex to Abyei and that he would not recognise
South Sudan as an independent state unless it abandons of Abyei.
Abyei residents were also supposed to have a referendum in January
over whether to join the north or south. Disputes over who could vote
derailed the referendum and talks over the status of the region have
been delayed.
(ST)
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