BY MORRIS KUOL YOLL
Introduction:
Did First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and the governor of Warrap State read and understand the recommendations of the Governors’ Forum?
I thought I would see some changes in 2025 regarding the Abyei-Twic conflict. Much has been said and documented about the cause and nature of this conflict which is essentially a land dispute between two communities. The Twic Community, in particular, has expressed its grievances through various letters of complaint to President Salva Kiir Mayardit, Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, various governors of Warrap State, and international bodies such as UNISFA, UNMISS, and the United Nations. This indicates that all concerned authorities, especially the Government of South Sudan, cannot deny knowing the cause of the conflict between Twic of Warrap State and Ngok of Abyei or pretend to be unaware that it is a boundary dispute between Twic County and Abyei Administration.
However, I was wrong in my perception. The recommendations from governors and three administrative areas clearly show that Dr. Machar, the governor of Warrap State, and the governors of various states and administrative areas either do not understand the cause of the war between Twic County and Ngok of Abyei or they are deliberately fueling the conflict by giving the rightful land of Twic County to the Abyei Region.
Some of the Recommendations from the 8th Governors’ Forum:
- Make Khadhian (Athony) Airport in the Abyei Administrative Area operational.
- Hold a peace conference between Ngok Dinka and neighboring communities, especially the Dinka of Warrap State.
- Implement the resolution of the Council of States on the conflict between the people of Abyei Administrative Area and communities in Warrap State.
- The Ministry of Interior to deploy police to the Abyei Administrative Area.
- The National Government to engage neighboring counties to end encroachment into the territory of South Sudan.
- States/Administrative Areas to protect national lands and assets in their respective areas (railways, rivers, ports, and airports/airstrips).
The cause of the conflict
The root cause of the conflict is a land dispute. The Abyei Administration Area has created and adopted the “Abyei Box” map, which crosses the known international boundary of 1956, Kiir River, which runs between Sudan and South Sudan. The 1956 boundary separates the Kordofan (Sudan) and Bahr el Ghazal (South Sudan) regions. This boundary was adopted by both Sudan and South Sudan as the official border separating the two countries.
With the 1956 boundary between Kordofan and Bahr el Ghazal, Abyei, north of Kiir River, belongs to Kordofan Province in Sudan, and Twic County belongs to Bahr el Ghazal Province in South Sudan and is the area that straddles the south of the Kiir River according to the 1956 boundary agreement. Hence, the Kiir River, as an international boundary, runs between Twic County of Warrap State, South Sudan, and Abyei of Kordofan, Sudan.
As stated, Abyei encompasses the area north of the Kiir River, and Twic County encompasses the south of the Kiir River. Hence, the root cause of the Twic and Abyei conflict is the Abyei Box that crosses the Kiir River and encroaches deep into Twic County to claim Athony, Akok, Malual Aleu, Aneet, Kadhien, Jooljok, etc. Just to mention a few of the disputed areas. However, in reality, the Abyei Box, which is the map adopted by the Abyei Administration, annexed much of Twic County territory that straddles south of the Kiir River from the west of Twic County to the east of Twic County.
Kadhien (Athony) Airport, recommended by the Governors’ Forum to be developed as Abyei Airport, is in Twic County which is south of the Kiir River. How did Dr. Machar and Warrap State Governor Marial Abuor fail to see or tell that Athony is in Twic County territory? Developing an airport for the Abyei Administration Area or calling it Abyei Administration land, as stated in the recommendations, fuels the conflict.
Governor Marial does not know the boundary of Warrap State which he is governing since he failed to inform the Governors’ Forum that Athony is a legal and rightful land of Twic County. This calls into question whether General Marial represents Twic County. Equally, the same concern goes to Dr. Machar who does not know where the international boundary that separates Sudan and South Sudan lies or runs between Twic County and Abyei Administrative Area. Dr. Machar’s knowledge of the areas that have caused the conflict between the Abyei Administration and Twic County is questionable since he failed to recognize that Athony is one of the disputed areas and calling it Abyei land will not settle well with Twic County.
Paradoxically, the Governors’ Forum’s recommendations call on the national government to protect national boundaries by engaging neighboring countries to stop them from encroaching into South Sudan territories. Unless Twic County territory was not in the mind of Dr. Machar, Governor Marial, and all the governors of South Sudan when they included recommendations number 14 and 29 enumerated above as numbers 5 and 6 when they listed them. Whether this is a blunder or intentional misrepresentation of Twic County, the Governors’ Forum calls into question whether the First Vice President and the governors understood the recommendations they made to be followed by the national and state governments.
Conclusion
Let us be realistic and objective: Abyei region is not yet a South Sudanese territory, it is a territory of Sudan since its status is yet to be determined by the two countries. Hence, allowing the Abyei Administration to annex Twic County land or develop the airport in Athony, Twic land, as an Abyei Administration asset is troubling since Abyei is a territory belonging to Sudan.
For the people of Twic County, the Abyei Administration’s encroachment into Twic County land is a foreign nation’s annexation of South Sudan territory since Abyei is a legitimate Sudan territory until its status is determined for it to join South Sudan.
The Governors’ Forum has already crippled its call for a peace conference between Twic and Ngok by giving Abyei the right to occupy Twic land. The Governors’ Forum recommendation has nothing for the people of Twic County. The document failed to mention the suffering of the people of Twic County displaced for years in their villages by the Abyei Administration and who are languishing in Twic County as internally displaced people with no land to live on and farm for their survival. Only the lives of the people of Abyei matter. This is shown through the recommendations and calls for the UN agencies to help the people of Abyei even though the Abyei Administration displaced the people of Twic County in their various villages, south of the Kiir River.
In addition, the document called for the Ministry of Interior, Hon. Angelina Teny, to deploy police to the Abyei Administration area and failed to dissolve the Abyei Police Force that has incorporated the Abyei Titbaai Militia in its ranks and is fighting against Twic County. In the Governors’ Forum, Hon. Angelina Teny admitted the incorporation of Titbaai Militia in the police forces in Abyei which are fighting Twic County.
The Governors’ Forum failed to call for the deployment of the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) stationed in various Twic villages to the designated areas along the 1956 boundary between Abyei and Twic County mentioned in the deployment instructions presented by the former army chief, General Santino Deng Wol, to both Twic County and Abyei Administration Area. In Twic County, the SSDF deployed in the villages and occupied schools, depriving children of learning and farmers from cultivating peacefully in their villages.
How do Dr. Machar and all the governors expect the people of Twic County to receive these one-sided recommendations that dismally fail to mention their grievances? of the people of Twic County? How does the Governor’s Forum think that the people of Twic County will allow the Abyei Administration which has stolen much of its land to develop an airport in Athony which is Twic land?
The people of Twic County are law-abiding citizens who desire peace and security. However, a call for peace that fails to acknowledge or consider the suffering of the people of Twic is not realistically feasible.
The writer is a dual citizen of South Sudanese and Canada and resides in Alberta, Canada. He can be reached via myoll2002@yahoo.com or 403-830-9278.
The views expressed in ‘opinion’ articles published by Radio Tamazuj are solely those of the writer. The veracity of any claims made is the author’s responsibility, not Radio Tamazuj’s.