Ngok Dinka activists in the contested area of Abyei between Sudan and South Sudan called on South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir to recognize last year’s unilateral referendum.
This comes after contradictory statements by the Khartoum government on whether Abyei should be included in the upcoming Sudanese elections or not.
In October 2013, Abyei’s Ngok Dinka held a referendum which voted overwhelmingly to join South Sudan. Other Abyei communities did not participate in the referendum, and neither Juba nor Khartoum recognized the vote.
Mathiang Kuol Chol, an Abyei activist, said he wonders why South Sudan government has been silent on the Abyei issue. He expressed discontent about non-recognition of Abyei referendum by the Juba government.
“Reluctance by the South Sudan government to recognize the referendum officially has also made the international community not to recognize it,” he said.