Bulabek Deng Kuol, paramount chief of the Ngok Dinka in the contested area of Abyei between Sudan and South Sudan says that tribal leaders will participate in a meeting with Misseriya traditional leaders in Addis Ababa if all nine Ngok Dinka chiefdoms reach an agreement on the matter.
A peace conference between Misseriya and Ngok tribes mediated by the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC) was initially scheduled to take place on 11 June, but South Sudan’s represntative to AJOC requested its postponement three times.
Chief Bulabek told Radio Tamazuj that they were also informed about the Addis Ababa meeting that was scheduled to be convened yesterday, but they failed to go. He pointed out that the Abyei high committee knew nothing about the agenda of the meeting, saying they will participate only if all nine Ngok Dinka chiefdoms reach a consensus about that meeting.
The tribal leader accused South Sudan’s AJOC of failing to enlighten the Ngok Dinka community about the nature of the meetings in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His remarks point to tensions between the Ngok tribal leadership and the AJOC representatives for South Sudan, who are also ethnically Ngok Dinka but work for the South Sudanese government.
Meanwhile, Presidential Press Secretary Ateny Wek Ateny attributed the postponement of the Addis Ababa meetings to logistical reasons. He told Radio Tamazuj that consultations and selection of a delegation have not yet been completed, besides the logistical challenges facing the Abyei Area Administration.
The presidential press secretary dismissed claims that South Sudan’s AJOC failed to enlighten the Ngok Dinka people on the planned meetings.
For his part, Hamad Al Dodu, emir of the Misseriya tribe, has previously accused some Ngok Dinka leaders including the Abyei Chief Administrator Chol Deng Alak of delaying the Addis Ababa talks.