The Sudanese Presidential Assistant, Dr Jalal Yusef El Digeir, has directed the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC) to speed up the activation of implementation mechanisms agreed on to provide basic services to the people in Abyei.

During a meeting on Tuesday in which Sudan’s co-chairperson of the Committee, El Kheir El Fahim, briefed El Digeir on AJOC’s progress and the referendum, conducted unilaterally by the Ngok Dinka of Abyei, El Digeir directed the AJOC to speed up the provision of services.

The two Sudanese officials also discussed the recent visit of the AU Security and Peace Council to Abyei.

In a press statement after the meeting, El Fahim explained that the meeting was part of the regular briefings provided to the Presidency on the performance of AJOC and the consequences of the unilateral referendum.

He noted that the governments of Sudan and South Sudan are discussing “the contentious issues of the region”, especially after the two parties recently agreed on “the matrix of mutual cooperation”.

File photo: Dr Jalal Yusef El Digeir (Sennar.net)