Letter of concern to AU from Ngok Di nka in Abyei area

Abyei Civil Society Organisations (ACSOs)

Letter of Concern to the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUSCP)

C/O H.E Dr. Dlamini Zuma
Chairperson
African Union Peace and Security Council (AUSCP)
P.O.Box 3243, Roosevelt Street
W21K19, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

September 10th, 2013

Honourable members of the AUSCP,
We, the Ngok Dinka community of Abyei area, are writing to your distinguished council today September 10th, 2013 in your capacity as the concerned body in the continent to address peace and security affairs. We are compelled by the un-favouring political developments inside Abyei area to remind the entire African Union (AU) about her moral, ethical and political commitments toward sincere follow up for AU High Level Implementation Panel (AU-HIP) Proposal of September, 2012 on the Final Status of Abyei area.

While we, remain grateful to AU’s efforts in helping South Sudan and Sudan to reach durable solutions on post-independence outstanding issues precisely on Abyei area, we would want the AU to take note of the awful humanitarian situation and the tremendous suffering that the Ngok Dinka peoples have been living in since May, 2011 disaster when the entire town of Abyei and surrounding villages were burned to ashes by Sudan Armed Forces (SAF). The suffering of the Ngok Dinka communities in displacement camps and inside Abyei region is increasing on daily basis due to the lack of political will from Sudan government to implement all the signed agreements on Abyei area.

The Ngok Dinka community since 1905 all through to South Sudan’s Independence in July, 2011 have never been in peace. The main cause of our continued suffering since time of immemorial has been the dishonouring of numerous accords on Abyei destiny by Khartoum’s successive regimes, as it happened in 1972 with Addis Ababa agreement and Abyei protocol of 2005.

Dear AUPSC members,
The Ngok Dinka community in September, 2012 welcomed with tears of happiness, the AU High Implementation Panel’s (AU-HIP) Proposal on final status of Abyei area. We hoped that it would bear fruits to bringing an end to the long night of captivity for the Ngok Dinka peoples through free and fair referendum to be held in October, 2013. But regrettably, the dreams of the Ngok Dinka communities for brighter future, full with freedom and stability are apparently being threatened by Sudan government’s refusal to honour conduct of Abyei referendum in October, 2013 as prescribed by the AU-HIP Proposal of September, 2012. If the Sudan government manages this time around to defy AU’s Proposal and repeated calls for resolution of Abyei issue through the referendum, then the entire Abyei region would be once again dragged into another cycle of perpetual war which would definitely have catastrophic humanitarian impacts on the entire populations in the region as like the case in 2008 and 2011.

Distinguished members of AUSCP,
The right for the self-determination for the Ngok Dinka chiefdoms was provided for in the Abyei Protocol under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in 2005, between Government of Sudan and the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement (SPLM). But, Sudan government abrogated the agreement and refused the conduct of Abyei referendum simultaneously with that of South Sudan in January, 2011. Though, the AU-HIP Proposal of September, 2012 had confirmed the holding of referendum for the Ngok Dinka chiefdoms, as the viable option for resolving Abyei conflict, Sudan government had tried very hard to convince AU states members not to endorse the AU-HIP proposal and moreover Sudan government is working hard toward abolition of Abyei referendum in October, 2013.

However, we would like the AU to note that, the Ngok Dinka chiefdoms have no patience left to tolerate any postponement for the Abyei referendum and that we would decide our own political destiny in a unilateral declaration in the event that the AUSPC and the UN Security Council have no abilities to impose the conduct of Abyei referendum in October, 2013 as stipulated in AU-HIP Proposal.

The Ngok Dinka chiefdoms and Civil Society Organisations would like the AU-SPC to take note of the followings:
1. The month of October, 2013 is a sacred deadline for holding Abyei referendum on Self-determination and if it is not honoured then the Ngok Dinka community will decide and declare unilaterally the political future of Abyei area. The UN charter for political, social and civil rights recognises the right for self-determination for every oppressed group in any given country. Therefore, the Ngok Dinka chiefdoms find it necessary without seeking permission to decide on their destiny regardless of the consequences that would follow.
2. We demand that the Abyei Referendum Commission be urgently formed and the AU to name her nominee for the chairmanship of the Commission and to set the schedule for voters registration, voting exercise and results announcement.
3. The AU seems to have exhausted all her strategies and has no abilities and powers to enforce the Proposal on Final Status of Abyei Area on the two countries (South Sudan and Sudan). Since the Proposal has been on the AU table for full year without any tangible action, it would be wise enough and more practical for the AU to declare her inability to resolve the Abyei issue within the African house and therefore should refer the Abyei issue to the UN Security Council for further actions.
4. The Ngok Dinka community ask the AU to intervene to stop Sudan government from excavating oil in Abyei area until mechanisms are agreed on by the two countries (South Sudan and Sudan) for equitable and fair sharing of the oil revenues that put into account welfare and sustainable development of the Abyei area.
5. We strongly call upon AU and UNISFA to ensure full withdrawal of Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) from various areas within Abyei area borders especially those stationed in Diffra (Kech) oil fields. The presence of SAF and other pro-Khartoum militias inform of oil police in many parts of Abyei area is a grave violation to the UN Security Council’s resolution NO 2046 and this would continue to pose threats to civilians’ safety in the area.
6. We unreservedly reject formation of joint administration with the Missirriyah as The Hague 2009 ruling already delimited the Ngok Dinka areas and excluded the Missirriyah – which means they don’t have any legal and constitutional rights on Abyei political affairs.
7. The AU should be aware that if the referendum is not held as agreed in October, 2013, then the Ngok Dinka chiefdoms would not allow by any mean, the Missirriyah nomads to graze their livestock in Abyei region until Abyei referendum has been conducted.

Signed on behalf of Abyei Civil Society Organisations by:
Dr. Rou Manyiel Rou
Chairperson
Abyei Civil Society Organisation (ACSOs)
Abyei area
September 10th, 2013

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