General Kuol Monyluak, head of the Abyei Administration, today expressed confidence in the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei after a meeting with the peacekeepers on recent clashes in the area.
Ethiopian peacekeepers under a UN flag were brought into Abyei in mid 2011 after the Sudanese army withdrew from the disputed area. The Ethiopian Prime Minister is chairing IGAD, the regional association now leading the mediation of the South Sudanese conflict.
In an interview with Radio Tamazuj, the top Abyei official Kuol Monyluak said that UNISFA held a meeting today with local chiefs in order to discuss the security situation in Abyei.
Chiefs and local authorities have formed security committees to report and respond to incidents in the disputed territory. These committees at the level of payam and boma will report upward to higher authorities and UNISFA.
Last month on the 15, 27 and 29 of January there were clashes between Abyei citizens from the Dinka Ngok tribe and Misseriya Arabs nomads in Kuany Adol area and in the northern part of the region.
Monyluak accused the Misseriya of launching these attacks, but he described them as not organized and related to cattle. He said he was confident the UNISFA forces can and will protect the innocent civilians after these incidents.
At least four people were killed and an undisclosed number of cattle were raided in the events, he said. Earlier it was claimed in Sudan Tribune by a local official and youth leader that 18 people were killed in the fighting.
A Misseriya leader, for his part, told Radio Tamazuj that Dinka gunmen attacked Misseriya at Loki village also in late January, killing eight cattle.
Bulabek Deng Kuol, paramount chief, told Sudan Tribune that the clashes followed “attempts by the Misseriya to go south of Abyei with their cattle for grazing and water.”
“The people said, yes, there is no problem with their coming. Let them come but their coming should be preceded by some meetings and agreements before gaining access to the area. But the Misseriya do not want this,” said the chief.
On the humanitarian situation in Abyei, the area administrator told Radio Tamazuj that at least 300 households of IDPs are currently in Agok without services. According to data released on the weekend by the International Organization for Migration, the number of newly displaced individuals in Abyei is 2,496.
Abyei Area is inhabited year-round by Ngok Dinka but seasonally also by herders from the Misseriya tribe. The Dinka inhabitants last October held a unilateral referendum voting to split from Sudan and join South Sudan. The poll was not officially endorsed by either the Juba or Khartoum government.
Related: Photos: Abyei in focus (12 Apr. 2013)
File photo: A contingent of Ethiopian peacekeepers arrives at Bujumbura airport, Burundi, 2 September 2004 (UN)