Women passengers and rights activists in the disputed area of Abyei between Sudan and South Sudan are calling on taxi drivers to allow them to sit in the front seats of their cars. They say it is a violation of their rights and a form of discrimination for drivers to stop them.

The Abyei Drivers’ Union banned women from the front seats of public transport vehicles last year.

The only exception is for women who can drive. That has led to heated arguments with female passengers. Nyanaguek Malou, who is 27 and lives in Agok, says she was barred from sitting by the driver after buying a ticket to Wau. He told her to sit at the back.

Nyanaguek said she thinks that whoever booked a seat should be able to sit there.

The chairman of the drivers’ union, Panuor Deng Panuor, said the rule had been brought in because of fears that a woman passenger could grab a driver’s arm in the event of an incident such as a tire bursting. A woman could react in a way that could cause an accident, he said.

But the director of the Abyei Women’s Empowerment Organization, Tabitha Chol Manyiel, said that was nonsense. She said the rule was merely discrimination, and there was no convincing evidence to support it. It demonstrated the union’s ignorance, she added.

Tabitha said she wanted the restriction ended by law. Abyei’s main taxi park is in Aniet market, and is operated by the Rummamer county authorities. The county commissioner, Chan Piok, said he would be meeting the drivers’ union to discuss the complaints.

Reporting by Abyei Today

File photo/Radio Tamazuj: A bus on the road between Abyei and Wau, 2011