A meeting of traditional leaders of the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya tribes that was scheduled to take place today in Addis Ababa has been postponed, a traditional leader said.
Dinka Ngok Paramount Chief Bulabek Deng Kuol told Radio Tamazuj that the UN’s Abyei mission administration informed them that the peace conference between Misseriya and Ngok mediated by AJOC was postponed.
Bulabek said the postponement came after a request by South Sudan’s co-chair of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC). He said UN mission told them the meeting is expected to take place on 15 June instead.
Bulabek confirmed their readiness to participate in the Addis Ababa meeting in order to push for peace and stability in the contested territory of Abyei.
The decision to adjourn the talks came after the Dinka Ngok tribal leader accused gunmen from the Misseriya tribe of attacking Biar area south of Abyei.
Last week, South Sudan’s co-chair of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC) Deng Mading called on the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya tribes to participate in the meeting of traditional leaders.