Zachariah Atem, prominent NCP member and Ngok Dinka leader in Khartoum, says that his tribe is originally Sudanese and its homeland Ayei belongs to Sudan.
“Abyei had never been part of South Sudan. You know, even Kuol Arop who is the father of Chief Deng Majok used to pay taxes to El Obeid authorities. Historically, Dinka Ngok tribe had been living in Kenana area in White Nile and then migrated to Abyei area,” he said.
Atem was responding to rumours that he had received a telephone call from the Abyei leader Edward Lino to join him in support for Abyei area as a South Sudanese territory. Khartoum media reported that Edward Lino contacted Zachariah Atem to support his calls that Abyei belongs to Sudan.
In an interview with Radio Tamazuj, Atem said. “There was no communication between me and Edward Lino. I can assure you that Abyei doesn’t belong to the South, ” he affirmed.
Meanwhile, during a public address as part of his campaigning for elections in El Fula town in West Kordofan recently, Sudan’s President Omar al Bashir pledged to implement development projects in Abyei. The Sudanese leaders said Abyei is a Sudanese territory and will remain so.
Zachariah commented that nobody can prevent president Bashir to visit Abyei during his campaigning for presidential elections. He disclosed that they have two candidates from Abyei who will represent them in the National Legislative Assembly.
However, in November last year the head of the West Kordofan high committee for elections Abdul-Jabar Ibrahim said that Abyei is not included in national and state constituencies for the upcoming polls.
Edward Lino, who is both a member of the SPLA-IO rebel group and a Ngok Dinka politician, denied any conversation between him and Zachariah Atem. He responded to Atem’s claim that Dinka Ngok tribe is originally from Kenana, calling it a lie. He accused the Khartoum government of trying to fabricate historical facts about Abyei.
“Zachariah himself had worked as a nurse in Wau because he is a South Sudanese. He is a South Sudanese traitor because he was involved in the Wau incident in 1965. So he shouldn’t say that he is from Kenana,” he said.
Abyei remains disputed by Sudan and South Sudan, though its Dinka Ngok inhabitants in October 2013 held an unrecognized poll electing to join South Sudan. Misseriya Arab nomads migrate seasonally into the territory with their cattle.