AJOC Co-chair Stresses Importance of Completion of Abyei Administration Institutions

Co-chair of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee, Al Khair Al Fahim said Sudan had honoured all its obligations towards Abyei issues but South Sudan has reneged on its obligations and is hindering efforts to achieve agreements.

He said the committee holds regular meeting every month in Abyei and the coming fifth meeting would be held on 5th August and the meeting would discuss completion of the various Abyei administration institutions including the legislative council, joint police and humanitarian issues. He said the Government of South Sudan proposed the establishment of a Radio in the area to broadcast news of the area including cultural heritages. He called on the international community to be neutral in dealing with the two parties, saying "the intransigence of southerners is the result of the unwarranted sympathy of the international community with them".

Al Khair emphasized the importance of completing the establishment of all institutions in Abyei including the Abyei Area Council, adding that the insistence of South Sudan on the completion of the establishment of the Administration before the Council is inappropriate.

 For his part, Misseriya leading figure Abdel Rasool Al Noor, affirmed that Abyei is part of the North, adding that the border between the North and South had been demarcated by the British rulers since 1952 and was endorsed on 1.1.1956 when the Dinka Ngok voluntarily opted to join the North.

Al Noor said the Misseriya agreed that the father of Francis Deng would become the chair of the Abyei rural council despite the fact that the Misseriya were then in the majority but they had consented to the chairmanship of Deng to promote unity and peaceful co-existence among the communities.

Speaking in an interview to Sudan Vision which will be published later, Al Noor said that the Hague-based court did not decide the future of the area, adding that what had actually taken place was that the border of the disputed area was determined. He said the solution lies in the participation of the Misseriya in the referendum.