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------Original message------ From: John Ashworth <[email protected]> To: "Group" <[email protected]> Date: Monday, May 6, 2013 6:56:45 PM GMT+0200 Subject: [sudan-john-ashworth] Killing of Abyei chief condemned 1. THE AFRICAN UNION STRONGLY CONDEMNS THE KILLING OF THE PARAMOUNT CHIEF OF THE NGOK DINKA COMMUNITY AND A UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPER IN ABYEI Addis Ababa, 5 May 2013: The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has learnt with shock of the attack on the United Nations Interim Security Force in Abyei (UNISFA) that occurred on 4 May 2013, the very day that the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC) had met in Abyei. This attack led, tragically, to the killing of Chief Koul Deng Majok, the Paramount Chief of the Ngok Dinka tribe of Abyei, as well as a soldier from UNISFA. The Chairperson condemns, in the strongest possible terms, this heinous crime, which threatens the stability of Abyei, as well as the progress recently achieved by Sudan and South Sudan in addressing their common security and socio-economic challenges. The Chairperson of the Commission urges the Government of Sudan to ensure that all those responsible for this dastardly act are brought to justice immediately. She calls on the leadership of Sudan and South Sudan to take all the steps necessary to ensure that the current situation does not spiral out of control. The Chairperson of the Commission expresses AU's full support to the decisions adopted by AJOC, in particular that Abyei should be a ‘weapons-free area’, as per the Agreement on Temporary Arrangements for the Administration and Security of the Abyei Area, signed by Sudan and South Sudan on 20 June 2011, and urges that these decisions be implemented immediately. She also supports the subsequent call made the AJOC Co-Chairs on the local communities to exercise restraint. She calls on the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan to take all steps required to assist UNISFA to exercise its mandate in Abyei, and in particular calls on the two governments not to arm their citizens. The Chairperson of the Commission express the Commission’s condolences to the Ngok Dinka community, as well as to the Government of Ethiopia and the family of the dead Ethiopian peacekeeper. END1 2. South Sudan holds Sudan responsible for killing of paramount chief in Abyei May 4, 2013 (JUBA)- Kuol Deng Kuol, the paramount chief of the Nine Ngok Dinka of the disputed border region of Abyei has been killed in an ambush, officials here said today. Edward Lino, the Co-Chair of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC), representing South Sudan said that chief Kuol, among others, were shot dead in an ambush by members of the rival Arabs nomads of Misseriya while they were in a convoy belonging to the United Nations Interim Force for Abyei (UNISFA) on their way back to Abyei town from a visit north of the area. “The paramount chief Kuol Deng Kuol known as Kuol Adol in the area has been killed today in Abyei by the members of the Misseriya. He was part of my team which went to Abyei yesterday to hold a meeting with Sudanese delegation and after the meeting they visited Kej (Difra)" Lino told Sudan Tribune. "You know Kej which they call Difra, literally meaning push away which clearly tells you that the area was inhibited by some people who are being pushed away, is where the oil is produced in Abyei which the government of Sudan is exploiting”, Lino added. "As part of my team he went together with Sudanese delegation and they toured the area after talks, then the Sudanese delegation left to Muglad after concluding the visit and our team started returning to Abyei but they fell into an ambush on their way by members of the Misseriya who asked UNISFA force to surrender them. They started negotiating for release. This happened at around 1:00PM to 2:00PM when they were stopped and the negotiations went on until 6:00PM when they finally opened fire on the convoy and the chief was killed with others", the South Sudanese official explained. He said the team had Deng Mading Mijak who is his deputy and Maguith Deng who is a senior member of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee and the late paramount Chief Kuol Deng Kuol. There were also other members from the area who were being escorted by UNISFA . They were together with Force Commander and his team. Juac Agok, the deputy Chairperson of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) in the area also confirmed the incident, describing the killing as what the international community had wanted to happen first in the area before they could begin to take seriously what they warned about Khartoum seeking to sabotage conduct of the referendum in the area. “They have killed the chief. Our paramount chief has now been confirmed dead. There are also some people but I do not know how many. I have heard of three people but it could be more because they were in a convoy. I think this was what the international community had wanted to hear first. The international community never showed any interest in resolving the conflict of Abyei. They wanted the people of Abyei to be wiped out as this is the policy of the government of Sudan" Agok said. "We have been saying that the government of Sudan did not withdraw forces from Abyei and it is openly arming Misseriya tribes. The international community is always quick to condemn and put pressure on the government of South Sudan but does nothing when Sudan violates and defies directives of the African Union and Security Council of the United Nations”, the emotionally charged official told Sudan Tribune Saturday. South Sudan’s Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Deng Alor Kuol. who is also from the area and is a relative of the deceased paramount chief, said his government will hold the government of Sudan responsible for the killing because the incident shows that Khartoum armed the Misseriya members and sent them to the area “to carry out terrorist-like activities”. “It is with deep regret that I inform you of the death of our paramount chief Kuol Adol. He was killed this evening in an ambush by Misseriya. The government of Sudan will definitely pay for his death and those who have died with him. This is clear act of terrorism and Khartoum must not be allowed to get away with it like other atrocities it had committed in the area before”, Alor told weeping family members who gathered in his house after learning the incident on Saturday. South Sudan’s Inspector General of Police, Pieng Deng Kuol, said “armed activities of the government of Sudan in the area were no longer bearable” before collapsing, indicating the level of anger generated by the incident within the community. Kuol Deng, a senior civil servant in the Abyei said the killing of the paramount chief of the area was an organised plan by the government of Sudan because it happened after its delegation left. “There should be no guesswork as to who is behind this incident. The killing of our chief and those who have died with him today was an organised plan. The government of Sudan knows it. You can see that it happened just after the Sudanese delegation left the area. The delegation knew it well. They knew even the time the plan would be carried out. This is clear terrorist work”, Deng told Sudan Tribune. The United Nations Interim Force for Abyei did not respond to a call by Sudan Tribune on Saturday and there was no immediate official release by the government South Sudan. A Misseriya chief speaking to Agence France Presse (AFP) also confirmed the death, saying Kuol "was killed today" but accused UNISFA of provoking the clash. "A group of Misseriya stopped the convoy and started negotiations. Then a clash happened when a UNISFA soldier shot one of the Misseriya who was readying his weapon," said the Misseriya chief who asked to remain anonymous. During the resulting clash, "the Dinka leader’s car was hit by an explosion and he and his driver were killed". Another anonymous resident told AFP that the Misseriya wanted to know why a Dinka was being taken through their zone, and negotiations "continued for a long time". At some point gunfire broke out, "and they shot the car of the Dinka chief", he added, without specifying who opened fire. In New York the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon issued a statement condemning the assassination of Kuol. "The Secretary-General strongly condemns the killing of the Ngok Dinka Paramount Chief Deng Kuol Deng and a UNISFA peacekeeper in an attack by a Misseriya assailant on a UNISFA convoy in the Abyei Area, today. Two peacekeepers were also seriously wounded in the incident" said the statement. He urged Khartoum, Juba, Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities "to remain calm and avoid any escalation of this unfortunate event". "This proves again how crucially important it is for the two Governments to establish the temporary institutions as stipulated in the 20 June 2011 Agreement and continue discussions on the final status of the Abyei Area" Ban said. Meanwhile, the U.S. Ambassador to South Sudan condemned the May 4 attack that killed Kuol and a United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) Ethiopian peacekeeper. "The U.S. Government strongly condemns this act of violence and demands that those responsible be held accountable. We urge the governments of South Sudan and Sudan to exercise restraint during this sensitive and volatile period," Susan Page said in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune. We appeal for calm in Abyei and implore all sides to avoid further escalation of violence, she added. The US envoy urged the parties to the conflict in Abyei to use the mechanisms, namely the Joint Security Committee, which they have put in place, to investigate these acts of violence and to facilitate a transparent and effective investigation to bring those responsible to justice and to ensure this tragic incident does not escalate into further violence. "We especially urge all parties to cooperate fully in the investigation," she stressed. Abyei was scheduled to have a referendum in January 2011 to decide its fate but it never took place as Khartoum and Juba disagreed on who should be able to participate. Last year, the African Union mediation team proposed that a referendum be held in the contested region this October, but that only those residing permanently in the area would be allowed to vote in the plebiscite, and decide whether they want to join Sudan or South Sudan. This proposal would effectively make the majority of voters come from the Dinka Ngok tribe, aligned with South Sudan, thus putting the Arab Misseriya nomads, who spend several months in Abyei every year grazing, not part of the voting. According to the mediators, exclusion of the Misseriya nomads, in line with the decision of the Hague-based arbitration court, which defined the territory of the nine Ngok Dinka chiefdoms in July 2009. However, Sudan swiftly rejected the plan, which received the blessing of the AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) (ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article46459 END2 3. South Sudan says Abyei will be reclaimed “at any cost” May 5,2013 (JUBA) – South Sudan said on Sunday that it will reclaim the oil- producing region of Abyei from the government of neighboring Sudan with which it has repeatedly failed to settle the region’s final status “at any cost”, and repeated accusation to Khartoum of “masterminding” the killing of paramount chief Kuol Deng Kuol on Saturday. 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. However, Sudan’s interior ministry said in a statement today that the armed Misseriya demanded from Kuol that their stolen cattle stolen by Dinka Ngok returned to them. The tribal leader was being escorted in a convoy protected by the United Nations Interim Force for Abyei (UNISFA) in the presence of its Ethiopian commander Major General Yohannes Gebremeskel Tesfamariam. The ministry blamed Kuol for visiting northern Abyei region inhabited by the Misseriya without informing the monitors. It is not clear who fired the first shot but a Misseriya chief told Agence France Presse (AFP) that the clash happened when a UN peacekeeper soldier shot one of the Misseriya who was readying his weapon. Sudan said that yesterday’s incidents resulted in 17 deaths and 12 injuries among the Misseriya. Two people were killed from the Dinka Ngok side including Kuol. One peacekeeper was killed on spot and two others seriously injured. Later one of the injured soldiers passed away. South Sudan president Salva Kiir Mayardit sprung up to his feet at a mourning function held in Juba today saying the issue should be left to the governments of Khartoum and Juba to handle it but stressed that he was certain the region would one day return to the South “at any cost”. “This is sad. No one had expected this to happen at a time when we have accepted to give peace a chance. President Bashir and I have accepted and declared at the press conference here when he visited Juba to work together for peace. I know it pains but this should be left to the government to see what to do. And I only want to assure you that I am certain that Abyei will one day come to the south at any cost”, Kiir told thousands of mourners on Sunday. South Sudanese minister of information Barnaba Marial said the government condemned the attack in the "strongest term possible" and called on the international community, particularly the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and African Union to investigate and hold those responsible to account. “The government of the republic of South Sudan condemns this unwarranted and unprovoked attack. This cowardly act of terrorism is unacceptable”, Marial told reporters Sunday. The minister did not say what the government planned to do but said president Kiir had been engaged in discussion with Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir over the issue since yesterday. "The government is committed to pursuing this issue. President Salva Kiir Mayardit himself has since yesterday been engaged with president Bashir in discussion to find out how to address the issue”, he said. South Sudan’s Cabinet Affairs Minister, Deng Alor Kuol accused Sudan of effectively helping members of the Arabs nomads of Misseriya with weapons to carry out attacks in the area. Minister Alor said chief Kuol was killed with another elder from the area and six others, five of whom are members of the Ethiopians nationals serving as part of the United Nations peacekeeping forces in the area. Three others were wounded and are in stable condition. He warned that the killing of the paramount chief would “open the door to all possibilities", without elaborating on the remarks but officials and residents argued supply of weapons. Speaking at the same function, Edward Lino, the Co-Chair of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC), on the side of South Sudan and who is also the head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) branch office in the area, said while wiping his face from shedding tears that “he is very sad but was sure the area would not remain in Sudan even if it means losing the whole population in the course of fighting for the liberation of the people from years of bondage”. “The world is helplessly looking on events unfolding in Abyei as if they are watching soccer. The international community, particularly key players, the America and her allies, the Security Council of the United Nations, the African Union and the regional leaders have left Abyei to be constantly subjected to heinous crimes and killing always committed by the criminals and the indicted president of Sudan and his government. They do not care what the international community says. They believe in seeing”, Lino told reporters Sunday. Lino said he was only waiting to recover from his sickness and will move into the area with youth group who will accept to follow him. “I am sad this happened. The issue of Abyei is very simple. It is simple thing because it is about land. This land belongs to us and we will get it from any animal or person by all means because it is ours. Nobody will ever deny our right”, Lino explained to the mourners mainly women and youth groups from the area. UNISFA SHOOTS AT PROTESTERS IN ABYEI Meanwhile thousands of people in Agok and in Abyei took to the streets to protest the killing of the chief, burning down shops belonging to Sudanese traders in Abyei town and bringing down a mosque, resulting into exchange of fire with members of the Ethiopian forces in the town. Local officials and relatives said “three juveniles” were shot in the protest by the United Nations Interim Force for Abyei (UNISFA), generating disquiet and tension in town and the surrounding area. “Three children, very young below 18 years have been shot by the UNISFA during the protest. They have not died but they are in critical condition. I think Ethiopian forces have a problem with our people. They shoot at our innocent and unarmed civilians and leave those who pose the danger. The Misseriya are at large holding weapons and attacking and killing people and UNISFA does not respond. They only respond when it is something related to the concern of our people”, Mijak Dau, a senior Civil Servant in Abyei town, an administrative headquarters of the area said. It was unclear whether there were members of the Misseriya tribe or traders from other states in Sudan who were injured or killed during the protests although authorities said no Sudanese nationals were in town during protest. "There are no traders from Sudan in the area. They fled yesterday after learning the incident. The town is now empty. The protesters only burned empty shops without goods", said Kuol Deng, a civil servant in Abyei. Abyei was scheduled to have a referendum in January 2011 to decide its fate but it never took place as Khartoum and Juba disagreed on who should be able to participate. Last year, the African Union mediation team proposed that a referendum be held in the contested region this October, but that only those residing permanently in the area would be allowed to vote in the plebiscite, and decide whether they want to join Sudan or South Sudan. This proposal would effectively make the majority of voters come from the Dinka Ngok tribe, aligned with South Sudan, thus putting the Arab Misseriya nomads, who spend several months in Abyei every year grazing, not part of the voting. According to the mediators, exclusion of the Misseriya nomads, in line with the decision of the Hague-based arbitration court, which defined the territory of the nine Ngok Dinka chiefdoms in July 2009. However, Sudan swiftly rejected the plan, which received the blessing of the AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) (ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article46474 END3 4. Sudan’s ruling NCP calls for restraint in wake of Abyei killings May 5, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has warned that the incident which took place yesterday in the disputed border area of Abyei could trigger renewed strife in the region. Kuol Deng Kuol, the top Dinka Ngok leader in Abyei, was killed on Saturday by Arab Misseriya tribesmen as he was travelling through the region in a convoy escorted by the United Nations Interim Force for Abyei (UNISFA). Sudan said today that 17 were killed and 12 injured from the Misseriya side, 2 from the Dinka Ngok and two UNISFA peacekeepers. The NCP’s spokesperson, Yasser Youssef, called on all sides to deny "enemies of peace" the chance to exploit the incident expressing his deep sorrow for the killings and extended his condolences to the families of the victims. He urged all parties to show restraint until an investigation into the incident is completed. Youssef pointed out that the government of South Sudan hastily rushed to hold the Sudanese government responsible for the assassination of Kuol, saying that conclusions should not be drawn before launching an impartial investigation. The NCP official said that his party is collecting information on the incident and ready to help the government in case it decided to form a fact finding committee. Sudan’s ministry of foreign affairs announced on Sunday that authorities in Khartoum will carry out an inclusive, transparent and fair investigation. It condemned the killing while vowing to hold those responsible accountable. The ministry further reiterated Sudan’s commitment to all agreements signed with South Sudan and its determination to implement them. It affirmed Sudan’s keenness to normalize and enhance bilateral relations. Abyei was scheduled to have a referendum in January 2011 to decide its fate but it never took place as Khartoum and Juba disagreed on who should be able to participate. Last year, the African Union mediation team proposed that a referendum be held in the contested region this October, but that only those residing permanently in the area would be allowed to vote in the plebiscite, and decide whether they want to join Sudan or South Sudan. This proposal would effectively make the majority of voters come from the Dinka Ngok tribe, aligned with South Sudan, thus putting the Arab Misseriya nomads, who spend several months in Abyei every year grazing, not part of the voting. However, Sudan swiftly rejected the plan, which received the blessing of the AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC). (ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article46476 END4 ______________________ John Ashworth Sudan, South Sudan Advisor [email protected] +254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile) +211 919 695 362 (South Sudan mobile) +27 82 050 1235 (South Africa mobile) +44 750 304 1790 (UK/international) +88 216 4334 0735 (Thuraya satphone) PO Box 52002 - 00200, Nairobi, Kenya This is a personal e-mail address and the contents do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation -- -- The content of this message does not necessarily reflect John Ashworth's views. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, John Ashworth is not the author of the content and the source is always cited. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sudan-john-ashworth" group. 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