Security agents in Mujlad town in Sudan’s West Kordofan State on Thursday arrested seven leaders of the Misseriya tribe who were selected to take part in a peace conference with Ngok Dinka in Aweil town in South Sudan’s Northern Bahr al Ghazal state.
Misseriya tribal leader, Hamad Al Dudo, confirmed that the arrest of the seven leaders along with others. He alleged they were arrested for other reasons not related to the peace conference with the Ngok Dinka tribe.
For his part, Yol Pagot Deng, chief of the Ngok Dinka tribe, told Radio Tamazuj Monday that the Sudanese authorities arrested the Chairman of the Peace Committee and six others before the peace meeting between the two tribes which was scheduled to take place in Aweil town on last Sunday.
Deng identified the detained traditional leaders of the Misseriya tribe as Abdullah Al Duma, Al-Fadil Hanuk, Jubara Mohammed, Al-Sadiq Musa, and three others.
“They were arrested because the authorities do not want any dialogue with the Ngok Dinka” he alleged. “They are fighting those who are working for peace. They said anybody found contacting any southerner we will arrest him.”
The Ngok Dinka leader accused the Sudanese government and other leaders from the Misseriya tribe of working against peace. He called on the United Nations Interim Security Forces for Abyei (UNISFA) to put pressure on to the Sudanese authorities to release the Misseriya leaders so they can participate in the peace conference with the Ngok Dinka tribe.
The peace meeting is sponsored by the Concordis organization.