Chief Baget Makuach of the Dinka Ngok tribe, in the contested region of Abyei between South Sudan and Sudan, dismissed the allegations of Misseriya tribe leader Hamad Al-Dudu that three Misseriya herders were killed by SPLA elements and some members of the Dinka Ngok.

A few days ago, Dudu, accused “SPLA elements in collaboration with some Dinka Ngok youths” of deliberately gunning-down three Misseriya herders in an area about 30 kilometres north-east of Abyei.

Chief Makuach said that the region is now completely devoid of any armed forces except the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA). He also asserted that the incident did not occur in Abyei, arguing that there have been no Misseriya men in the area since the assassination of Paramount Chief Kuol Deng Kuol.

“The statement of the Misseriya leader has no basis in evidence and proves that their accusation is baseless,” he said.

Related: Misseriya leader accuses SPLA of killing three herders in Abyei (7 June 2013)