Some traditional leaders and politicians from the nine Ngok Dinka chiefdoms in Abyei have recently amplified calls for autonomy and self-determination for the people of the disputed area which straddles the border of South Sudan and Sudan.
Abyei’s Ngok Dinka paramount chief, Sultan Bulabek Deng Kuol, recently joined the chorus of the demands. Radio Tamazuj caught up with him and sounded him out.
Below are edited excerpts:
Q: Why do you demand self-determination for the Abyei region now?
A: We demanded self-determination as a result of the suffering that the Ngok community experienced for a long time since the period of the first war (Anyanya 1) and the second war (Anyanya 2). The Ngok community has participated in all the events that took place in southern Sudan. Therefore, in all the suffering experienced by the people of South Sudan, the Ngok community was an integral part.
During the Addis Ababa Agreement of 1972, the Ngok community was given the right to a referendum to decide whether they wanted to return to Southern Sudan or stay in (Northern) Sudan. Although this agreement did not give the right of self-determination to the people of southern Sudan, it is assumed that the Ngok Dinka people should be consulted about the administrative return of the area to Bahr al-Ghazal or whether it should remain under the administration of Kordofan.
During the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (negotiations) in Naivasha in 2005 which granted the people of southern Sudan self-determination, the agreement also granted the right to consult the Ngok Dinka people to decide their fate, whether they want to return to Southern Sudan or remain part of the Kordofan region in Sudan.
Unfortunately, the Ngok People’s Consultation which was supposed to take place in the three years prior to Southern Sudan’s Referendum was not conducted. After this failure, there were proposals to conduct this popular consultation at the same time as the referendum for the people of South Sudan in 2011 but this also did not happen.
All this while, the problem was not addressed and the conflict between the Government of Sudan and the Government of Southern Sudan over the region’s status quickly escalated. The conflict reached the necessity of defining and demarcating the borders of the 9 Ngok Dinka tribes which were transferred administratively in 1905 to Kordofan so that the borders would be known to all. This is what prompted the case to reach the International Court of Justice at The Hague. Indeed, the court decided in this regard. Therefore, it is assumed that the well-known border between Sudan and South Sudan is the border of the Abyei region.
After all these steps, we are supposed to see that practical steps are taken to include the Abyei region within the borders of the state of South Sudan. According to the proposal of former Southern African President Thabo Mbeki, only the 9 Ngok Dinka tribes have the right to vote. The proposal did not talk about the Misseriya’s participation in the vote on the self-determination of the area but the protocol gave them the right to seasonal grazing in the area and the neighborly relations will continue.
After the referendum was held by the Ngok community, during which President Salva Kiir’s government contributed by protecting the process, the government of Southern Sudan was supposed to adopt the results of that referendum and adopt the opinion of the Ngok Dinka people. This did not happen due to circumstances known to the government and they did not adopt the results of that referendum.
We were patient with their decisions so as not to cause friction between the two countries but the region has been bleeding and suffering a lot in the recent past. The suffering of the people of the region, including death, forced displacement, forced settlement, kidnapping of children, rape of women, and other violations, has increased from time to time.
All of these and other reasons prompted us to demand autonomy so that we would not be the cause of a permanent conflict between the two countries. We also hope that a compromise can be reached later to resolve the Abyei issue without sharp differences. At the same time, the citizens of the Abyei region will live in safety and stability like all societies.
Q: We understand from your speech that you are calling for autonomy for the Abyei region due to the slowness of the leaders of the SPLM led by President Kiir in resolving the issue of the region. Is this accurate?
A: These are most of the facts on the subject and as long as everyone looks forward to a decent life in light of stability for others, we deserve to live in safety and stability as well. The people of the two countries cannot live in safety without us. If the two governments cannot provide us with stability, then we have the right to govern ourselves under the protection of the United Nations until we find the required respect.
We want to see an end to settlement in the region and an end to the killing of civilians, forced migration, the kidnapping of children, and the rape of women. We want to move freely and not in a closed area. When civilians go out looking for ways to live, they often kill or pillage their cows or burn their homes. Therefore, we demanded the right of autonomy to put an end to the suffering of the citizens because the final solution may be achieved later.
Q: How do you plan to attain autonomy and where will you get resources to govern the region?
A: We are certain that one of the reasons for the suffering of our people in the region is the conflict over resources. Everyone is greedy for the region’s resources such as oil, land, forests, and fish. Abyei is a very rich area and that is what brings us problems.
Q: What kind of autonomy do you demand in Abyei?
A: The features of governing the region are supposed to rest with the people of Ngok as long as there are natural resources present in the region. They have to divide these resources among themselves and manage the affairs of their region.
Q: Will the area be under the protection of a third party such as the United Nations”
A: We expect to be under the umbrella of the United Nations to oversee our administration and protect us from external attacks. As the Ngok community, we cannot go to war with Sudan or South Sudan. We have many examples around the world with the same experience of autonomy.
Q: Recently there has been conflict and fighting between the Ngok Dinka and the Twic community of Warrap State and some of the Ngok leaders were arrested by the authorities in Southern Sudan. Was any of them charged and arraigned in court?
A: The conflict between Ngok and Twic started in February 2022. Although the conflict between Ngok and Twic has been raging for more than 7 months now and we do not know the main motive for this war. There is no precedent of differences between us and Twic. There is no history of conflict between our ancestors as far as I remember, even to the extent that the two communities intermarry. Our lives were intertwined and cooperative as brothers, neighbors, and friends and life was very simple. So far the Ngok have not attacked the Twic but the latter has launched more than 30 attacks on Ngok.
At least nine of our civilian leadership and about 7 of the military leaders from Ngok were arrested and they are now in detention centers. While there are only three detainees are from the Twic community only.
I do not understand why the Twic community would attack us. We have kept asking about the reasons for the arrests and there are no reports against them, not even charges against them. We do not know who is responsible for the arrests.
According to the recommendations of the preliminary meetings, it was agreed that hostilities stop but until this moment, the Twic people are still attacking us and we have not heard of any accountability from the higher authorities.
Q: Are you implying that the committee that visited the region under the leadership of Vice President Hussein Abdel-Bagi is not impartial?
A: This is our view. Even the arrests are the best evidence of that and the committee played an unfair role because the war did not stop and at the same time there are still arrests.
Q: What are your demands regarding the detainees?
A: The war must stop! We deeply regret that the weapons of the Government of South Sudan were directed against the Ngok Dinka community. Military uniforms, weapons, ammunition, and military vehicles belonging to the state of South Sudan may not be used against citizens of the same country. There are elements among the sons of Twic who were exploited to carry out this task. We see that it is the state’s responsibility to stop the war and arrest the most prominent contributors to the war between the two communities.
Q: What is your comment on President Kiir’s speech on Abyei last week?
A: This is what we have been expecting from the Government of South Sudan since the referendum was held 9 years ago. If there had been movement in the past, it would have found the perfect solution for the region but the freezing of this file made the citizens of Ngok live without dignity and lose land and resources. This is why we call for self-governance.