Leaders of the Misseriya Arab tribe have demanded the Sudanese government to deal more seriously with the Abyei issue in order to find a peaceful solution in the area.
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, though the ruling party of the south, SPLM, lent its support to the organizing of the referendum.
Although the Abyei issue was widely publicized during the post-independence period, Sudan’s political focus now remains primarily on other issues such as the NCP internal reform agenda and economic stability.
In a press statement, tribal leader Mohamed Abdullah Waddabuk called on the government to quickly reach a breakthrough on the outstanding issues with South Sudan, dealing with the disputed border territory as a government-to-government issue.
“Dealing with the Abyei file as if it is a tribal issue will exacerbate the crisis and complicate chance for peaceful solution in the area,” he said.
Abdullah said solution to the issue requires involvement of all the stakeholders. “The government’s indifference has mostly affected the Misseriya tribe,” he said.
But he also emphasized that the Misseriya people are not the ones who will pay the consequences alone because it is a Sudanese territory.
He also predicted a positive move by the newly formed cabinet in Khartoum to resolve the Abyei issue as soon as possible.
Related: Photos: Abyei in focus (12 Apr. 2013)
File photo