Officials from Abyei have agreed to an international ruling related to the status of the oil-producing area of the central African nation of Sudan. There has been an eruption of violence in Abyei since the elections., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Sudan Vision News Daily
http://www.sudanvisiondaily.com/
Abyei: Governments Versus Area Citizens
Rasha Al-Balla Abdul-Ghader - (Sudanow Info.)
Omdah (Chief) of Awlad Kamil, a branch of Misseriya tribe, Mohamed Hammad Abdul-Jalil has affirmed failure of Sudan and South Sudan governments regarding the Abyei area, namely via the strategic plan set by the Sudanese government.
Speaking on the sidelines of the consultative forum on Abyei, which was organized by Sudan University of Science and Technology in cooperation with the national youth and students’ authority for supporting Abyei under the motto “Abyei: The Homeland”, Abdul-Jalil said that the Abyei issue has become an issue of the citizens of the area and is no longer within the framework of the government.
He said Abyei is regarded as a point of communication between the north and the south, noting that the National Congress Party (NCP) does not accept this.
He explained that both Miseriya and Dinka Ngok tribes live in Abyei starting from Abu Nafisa southwards and way down to Udhaya area northwards, saying that Abyei, therefore, should be a center of peaceful co-existence for both tribes.
Omdah Adam Ahmed, on his part, urged for non-exclusion of the native administration from what is going on at all tribal conflict areas, reiterating the importance of involving the native administration leaders, youth and women as they are the ones concerned with the issue.
Abyei maintains a special importance in the history of Sudan, whether in the past or the future, as for the events which took place in the area between Sudan and South Sudan governments on one part and between the Miseriya and Dinka Ngok tribes on another part, not to mention the regional and international intersections which started to clearly appear via the mediations, agreements and resolutions made with the aim to resolve the dispute between the parties over area.
Though the Abyei Protocol of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) in 2005 in Naivasha, Kenya, stipulated that the area was to be made a bridge for communication and peace between north and South Sudan, yet the events developed and Abyei has become a major border issue between Sudan and South Sudan after they became separate States.
In July 22, 2009, the International Arbitration court in The Hague issued a decision dividing Abyei, giving the majority of its area to South Sudan and Hijleg and Yambio, the biggest oil fields in Abyei, to Sudan.
Abyei lies southwest of South Kordofan State on Sudan-South Sudan border with an estimated area of 25,000 square kms. Abyei is also rich of pastures and water resources and dwelled by Miseriya and Dinka Ngok tribes.
The forum discussed 6 working papers including “Abyei History: The Past, Present and Future prospect”, “Moral and Material Needs of the area citizens”, “Popular Media and its effect in Knowledge Orientation at Abyei”, “Disseminating the Culture of Peace, Peaceful Co-Existence Mechanism and Restoration of the Social Fabric”, “The Women’s Role in Dissemination of the Peace Culture” and “Training of Youth for Peace and Development”.
Former Wali (Governor) of South Kordofan State and Head of the legislative and decentralized government committee at the States’ Council Ustaz Omer Suleiman Adam Wanis, who presented the paper of Abyei History: The Past, Present and Future prospect, noted that the relationship between the Miseriya and Dinka Ngok tribes used to be a cordial relationship that was governed by mutual interests, pointing out that the relationship between the leaders of the two tribes have become strong during the Madhist era.
He explained that the turning point in the relationship between the two tribes took place during 1964-1965 when the rebel forces attacked the villages of the Miseriya Humur, or Awlad Omran, a branch of the Miseriya tribe. In reaction, the Miseriya attacked Al Raqaba Al-Zarqa and Babanousa areas where great numbers from the two parties were killed.
He further explained that in 1971 the Abyei issue was discussed during the negotiations of Addis Ababa when the two negotiating parties agreed to look into Abyei issue via a general referendum at the area, pointing out that many conferences had been convened to prevent incidents and follow up the implementation of the decisions of those conferences by formed mechanisms.
However, many of those decisions have completely collapsed following implementation due to incidents that led to renewal of clashes, matter which pushed the parties to refer the issue to the international court of arbitration to decide on the report of the experts after failing to reach a consensus, noting that the arbitration’s rule seemed consensus as it declared that the experts have violated their mandate.
He further said that Sudan and South Sudan governments have accepted the arbitration’s rule with political reservation, while the Miseriya rejected the rule under the argument that the two governments have differed in the interpretation of the private right, i.e. who has the right to vote in the referendum. He said that by late 2010 and early 2011, the conflict in Abyei broke out and the security situation collapsed again when Abyei and its surrounding villages were burned.
Meanwhile, Ambady Yahya Hamadouk, secretary general of the national youth and students’ authority for supporting Abyei presented the paper of moral and material needs of the area citizens, saying that Abyei is suffering much due to lack of basic services where the population there is suffering from the absence of the government role since 2011.
He said the Abyei citizens have lost all their properties, their homes in particular, pointing out that the citizens of Abyei are depending in their living on traditional agriculture, grazing and some small crafts but due to the war, the economic condition at the areas has greatly been affected.
Ustaz Siral-Khatim Tutu, a lecturer at the Sudan University of Science and Technology, presented the paper of the Training of Youth for Peace and Development, citing the most important axis of youth training to contribute to the dissemination of peace culture at Abyei.
He said such axis include the concept of peace and conflict, negotiation and conflict management, planning of workshops, conferences and base forums, active communication and the skills for influencing the other. He added that the purpose behind this is to provide the peaceful and stable social environment which encourages building and rehabilitation via the exploitation of the different resources at Abyei prior to economic development.
However, Suleiman Yahiya, the associate professor at the Sudan University of Science and Technology, in his paper the “Popular Media and its effect in Knowledge Orientation at Abyei” said there are many inherited popular media and cultural behaviors that the Miseriya and Dinka Ngok tribes in Abyei share in common, pointing out that those behaviors could be employed to support and enhance peace and disseminate its culture at the area.
He added that the topics of the popular media could be integrated in the educational methodologies and modern media programs.
He further urged for working to change the reality of the traditional life in Abyei in a manner that leads to changing the role of the information culture positively and get rid of the negative aspects.
The associate professor at the Sudan University of Science and Technology Hajj Abba Adam Al-Hajj, in the meantime, presented the paper of “Disseminating the Culture of Peace, Peaceful Co-Existence Mechanism and Restoration of the Social Fabric”, reiterating the importance of urging all the citizens of the area to overcome the bitters of the past and achieve reconciliation.
He further called for the importance that the national forces must work to resolve all the conflicts and differences within the Sudanese framework away from international interventions of clear strategic ambitions.
He further reiterated the importance of leveraging the native administration and qualifying its leaders to play their role in the social peace and peaceful co-existence besides working to involve the women in decision-making and preparation of laws and agreements, explaining that there must be full coordination between the various civil community organization and women organizations to adopt programs that achieve a lasting peace at Abyei.
Jamal Suleiman, Chairman of the Training Unit at the Peace Culture and Studies Center presented for the forum the paper of the Women’s Role in Dissemination of the Peace Culture, saying that women have a major role in disseminating the peace culture in the community.
He said the women’s role focuses on the peace issue or the self-peace, the personal peace and the national, regional and international peace, calling for the reactivation of the women’s role in fields of human development, disease control, peacekeeping, reproductive health and education.
Positive developments have recently been achieved at the Abyei area when Sudan and South Sudan governments signed 9 matrix deals of cooperation between them in March this year in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.
The two sides agreed to establish the Abyei administration according to Article (5) of the temporary arrangements agreement for the administration and security in Abyei, signed between them, and establish Council of Abyei area according to Article (8) and Abyei Police according to article (25) and (26).
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