SPLM accuses Khartoum of refusing to withdraw its troops in Abyei
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August 10 2011 (MALAKAL) - Deng Arop Kuol, a senior member of the
Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the former chief
administrator of the contested border region of Abyei on Wednesday,
accused the Khartoum government of refusing to withdraw its troops
from the contested border town of Abyei.
JPEG - 52.2 kb
Deng Arop, former Chief Administrator of Abyei (Xinua)
Kuol said that the town remains under the full control of the Sudanese
Armed Forces (SAF) since its invasion on 21 May 21 2011, and that
there are no signs indicating they will withdraw soon.
“The United Nations has already begun deploying Ethiopian troops to
Abyei. About two companies have already been deployed. They have been
there for more than three weeks now since they started deploying them
early July, but Sudan Army remains in the town” said Kuol in an
interview with Sudan Tribune from Juba on Wednesday.
He accused SAF of refusing to withdraw from the area as per the
framework agreement which the two parties signed in the Ethiopia
capital of Addis Ababa, to end a dispute over the area.
Juac Agok, a deputy chair of the SPLM for the area, in a separate
interview with Sudan Tribune from Juba said the town remains under
control of SAF. He also accused them of committing atrocities there.
“Our people are around the town. They have gone back to their farms
especially those who cultivated in areas of Abothok, Marial, and Agok.
All the areas south of Abyei town are inhabited by our people. They
[SAF] are only in the town”, said Agok.
The region became a war zone following the SAF invasion in response to
alleged attacks by South Sudan’s army. Both parties have agreed that
the region be policed by a UN force of Ethiopian troops.
Abyei is in the borderlands between North and South Sudan, which,
after decades of civil war, gained its independence on 9 July. Part of
the peace agreement signed by both parties in 2005 was the right of
the people of Abyei to a popular consultation, which is long overdue.
Deng Thiep Akok, a former Aweil North county commissioner, said in an
interview with Sudan Tribune on Wednesday, that the government in
Khartoum invaded Abyei to strengthen its position in post-independence
negotiations.
Significant undecided post-secession issues include the distribution
of debt and oil-wealth.
“The reasons why Sudan Armed Forces invaded Abyei were clear. They did
not want the south to secede from the north. This was why our forces
were ordered not to retaliate, not that the Sudan People’s Liberation
Army did not want to fight”, he explained.
Akok said the leadership of the former rebel movement turned ruling
political party has always made its position clear and known to the
international community.
“We do not need any pending issues in the peace to be addressed
through armed confrontation. We wanted all pending issues, including
issues connected to transitional areas of Abyei, South Kordoan and
South Blue Nile to be addressed through peacefully negotiated
settlement, with the involvement of international community as they
took part in the negotiations of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement”,
he said.
He assured the people of Abyei that the SPLM leadership under Salva
Kiir will always support them and stand with them even if they are
members of the Dinka Ngok ethnic group who wants the region to to be
part of North Sudan.
Akok said North Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party is “using their
presence in the area as bargaining tool”.
(ST)
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