South Sudanese Activist Welcomes Abyei Peace Accord

Traditional leaders from the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya who attended the peace conference in Entebbe, Uganda, May 19, 2022 (UNISFA photo)

May 20, 2022 (JUBA) – A renowned South Sudanese activist has welcomed the peace accord signed by Misseriya and Ngok Dinka traditional leaders, saying it is essential for both communities to live in peace and harmony.

On Thursday, the Misseriya and Ngok Dinka traditional leaders inked a peace deal reiterating their commitment to achieving lasting peace in Abyei area.

A communique was signed by the Ngok Dinka Paramount Chief, Bulabek Deng Kuol and the Misseriya delegation leader, El Sadig Hireka Izzral Din at the end of a three-day joint peace conference held in Entebbe, Uganda.

The leaders, the United Nations peacekeeping force in Abyei (UNISFA) said,   committed to advocating for inter-community dialogue to promote the protection of women and children as well as livestock and property.

They further pledged to be the tool for fostering peace between the two communities and agreed to meet regularly in the quest for peace in Abyei.

“Community Empowerment for Progress Organization [CEPO] welcomes and congratulates the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities for reaching a peace deal. Differences is best resolved using non-violent ways,” CEPO’s Executive Director said in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Friday.

He appealed to the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities to live in peace.

According to Yakani, the issue of Abyei status should not be a factor triggering violence between the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities.

“The agreed upon political and legal frameworks on the status of Abyei as per the provisions of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement [CPA] should be the guidelines for settling the issues on the status of Abyei,” he stressed.

The activist urged Juba and Khartoum leaders to respect the peace deal reached between the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya in Entebbe, Uganda.

“The leadership of UNISFA should help fund the dissemination of the peace deal reached in Uganda on May 19, 2022. CEPO will effectively engage in observing the implementation of the peace deal provisions,” he noted.

In recent months, violence has intensified in the contested oil-producing region, despite the presence of the UN peacekeeping force in the area.

According to authorities in the area, some of the attacks were carried out by the Sudanese Misseriya tribe with the most recent one happening last month, whereby more than 40 civilians including women and children were killed by suspected Messeriya tribesmen in separate incidents in the area.

The Abyei Area, a territory of 10,546 km² on the border between Sudan and South Sudan, was accorded “special administrative status” by the 2004 Protocol on the Resolution of the Abyei Conflict in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the second Sudanese civil war.

In 2011, the UN Security Council deployed its peacekeeping force in the disputed area after deadly clashes displaced thousands of the population.

(ST)