Chiefs and elders of the nine Ngok Dinka chiefdoms in the contested area of Abyei between Sudan and South Sudan intend to lobby the South Sudanese government to recognize the unilateral referendum conducted in October last year.

In a unilateral referendum held by the Ngok Dinka people in October last year on the status of Abyei showed that 99.9 percent of respondents were in favor of joining South Sudan.

Sources told Radio Tamazuj that Abyei traditional leaders are planning to carry out a massive mobilization within the South Sudanese government to recognize the referendum.

Last year the South Sudanese government declined to recognize the poll out of concern that it would heighten tensions with Khartoum and fail to break the deadlock over the disputed region.

Though the government in Juba has yet to recognize the referendum, the Finance Ministry reportedly has transferred funds to the Abyei Administration anyway.

Achuil Akol, the Finance and Economic Planning Minister in Abyei told Radio Tamazuj on Friday that an amount of 24 million SSP was received from the South Sudanese government for civil servants’ salaries in the disputed territory.