South Sudan’s Amum accuses Sudan of ethnic cleansing in Abyei
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June 7, 2013 (JUBA) - A senior South Sudanese official has accused the
government of neigbouring Sudan of ethnic cleansing in the contested
border region of Abyei, allegedly to discourage return of Dinka Ngok
residents.
JPEG - 15.8 kb
SPLM Secretary General Pagan Amum (AFP/Getty)
Pagan Amum, the secretary general of the ruling Sudan People’s
Liberation Movement (SPLM), was speaking to reporters shortly after
meeting President Salva Kiir Mayardit in the state house.
Kiir, Amum said, has granted him, as South Sudan’s lead negotiator,
the authority to present the position of the government to an upcoming
meeting of an African Union team of border experts and conflict
mitigation in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.
Amum said the president had assured him of his readiness to provide
necessary support to the full implementation of the bilateral
cooperation agreement signed in September 2012.
"The president accepted the plan and gave me his authority and
assurances of commitment to fully implement the cooperation agreement
as well as desire to peacefully settle the differences we have over
the status of Abyei", he said.
He said South Sudan accepts the proposal by African Union High-Level
Implementation Panel (AUHIP) to hold referendum in Abyei as the only
way to settle the dispute.
"You all know that the position of the president and the government of
South Sudan have always been peaceful dialogue and the best mechanisms
to settle dispute over Abyei in a way that respects and promotes
peaceful coexistence and bilateral relations between the two
communities but the government of Sudan has always taken different
routes", he said.
He further told reporters that Khartoum has "refused to accept African
union proposal to hold a referendum (in October of this year without
the Messeeiya nomads) and decided to engage to employ ethnic cleansing
activities. They have decided to engage in massive settlement plans of
the non-resident of Abyei and seriously arming militia groups to
terrorize the local population".
The chief negotiator pointed out that the recent killing of the
paramount chief as one of the strategic plans of the government of
Sudan to depopulate the area so that it could assume full control.
"The killing of the paramount chief Kuol Deng Kuol shows clearly that
the government of Sudan was not ready to peacefully resolve the
dispute. It wants to annihilate the Ngok Dinka. That was they killed
the chief who was seen the bridge and played fundamental role in
peaceful coexistence between the two communities who have never any
problem between themselves. It is the government in Sudan that incites
the conflict to remain in power", he stressed.
The Sudanese government rejected the accusations of being behind the
death of Ngok Dinka Paramount Chief and an Ethiopian peacekeeper on 4
May between an UNIFSA force and Misseriya gunmen. Khartoum pledged to
investigate the incident.
Abyei was supposed to vote in January 2011 on whether it would remain
in Sudan or be transferred into South Sudan. But Khartoum and Juba
continue to disagree on who can participate in this crucial vote.
Sudan insists that the Misseriya nomads, who enter the area for large
parts of the year to graze their cattle should also be allowed to take
part in any self determination exercise.
But Juba says only can vote the Dinka Ngok who would be expected to
vote to join South Sudan if they constituted the majority of eligible
voters, and the small number of Misseriya residing permanently there.
(ST)
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