Sudan’s co-chair of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC) Hassan Ali Nemir called on the United Nations Interim Security Forces for Abyei (UNISFA) to provide protection to all citizens in the contested area.
In a press statement, Hassan said they received complaints from members of the Misseriya tribe that UNISFA is stopping them from moving southward and Ngok Dinka from crossing north.
Ali Nemir hails from the Misseriya tribe. The other AJOC co-chair is based in Juba.
He pointed out that the UN mission’s mandate is to ensure full protection to the citizens in the area and prevent conflict between tribes, not to prevent interaction between the two tribes.
He said they promised the locals to raise the complaints to the UNISFA’s new commander.
Ali stressed that UNISFA should provide security to the locals by preventing attacks by armed groups that come from outside the area, besides the provision of security to companies operating in the area.