Abyei partners launch joint oversight committee
Article
Comments (2)
email Email
print Print
pdfSave
separation
increase
decrease
separation
separation
September 12, 2011 (JUBA) - Representatives from North and South Sudan
last week officially launched the joint oversight committee on Abyei,
nearly four months after the much-hyped signing of the temporary
arrangements for the administration and security of the oil-producing
region.
The ceremony, according to communiqué from the African Union High
Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP), took place in Addis Ababa, the
Ethiopian capital.
Former Burundian president, Pierre Buyoya chaired the meeting, which
was co-chaired by South Sudan’s Deng Alor and Omer Suleiman from the
Khartoum government.
During the meeting, the AUHIP statement says, members adopted the
modalities for the work of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee. The
committee, it adds, shall be based in Abyei and will be tasked with
overseeing the administration of the area and will take responsibility
for security issues.
Also agreed upon during the meeting, was a tentative timetable for the
withdrawal of North and South Sudan’s forces from Abyei, from 11-30
September.
“The members of AJOC also agreed, in their work, to keep in mind the
interests of the local communities, especially as the planting and
migration seasons are due to commence soon,” reads the statement.
Speaking during the meeting, Buyoya commended the two governments for
the successful launch of the AJOC and for taking the decisions
necessary for implementing the Abyei administration and security
agreements.
Also in attendance was Tadesse Tesfay, the current commander of the
Abyei peace keepers; Boitshoko Mokgatlhe, a representative of the AU
commission; Ambassador Kuol Alor Kuol of South Sudan; and Brigadier
Mohieldin Ahmed Elhadi of North Sudan.
Sudan and South Sudan claim the sovereignty over Abyei. To end this
dispute a referendum was supposed to to be run in the area since
January 2011. However the two parties failed to hold it because they
diverge on who should participate in the vote.
UN Scretary General Ban Ki-Moon on Saturday welcomed the agreement
reached by Khartoum and Juba on the launch of the Abyei Joint
Oversight Committee on 8 September.
He also praised the efforts of the African Union High-Level Panel, led
by President Thabo Mbeki, in helping the parties adopt the modalities
of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee and agree on a timetable for
the withdrawal of all forces out of the Abyei Area, commencing 11
September.
(ST)
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "JFD
info" group.
To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
[email protected].
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/jfdinfo?hl=en.
