Dr. Luka Biong, South Sudan’s co-chair of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee, has insisted that Sudan and South Sudan must resolve their differences over Abyei by following the course proposed by Thabo Mbeki on behalf of the African Union High implementation Panel (AUHIP).

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj after returning from ongoing peace talks in Addis Ababa, Luka pointed to the failure of the recent presidential summit. He added that there can be no comprehensive solution to outstanding issues between the two nations, including that of Abyei, outside of Mbeki’s proposal.

The proposal made by the AUHIP stipulates that a referendum should take place in October this year to decide whether the area is to be a part of Sudan or South Sudan.  However, Sudan is unhappy that voting will be restricted to ‘permanent residents’ of the area, a move which will exclude the Misseriya, nomadic Sudanese groups who graze their cattle in the area for part of the year.

Luka indicated that an African head of states summit taking place in the Ethiopian capital is likely to support the proposal.

He went on to criticise the Sudanese government’s rally for support over their own plan which would divide Abyei into two. “There will be no any new outcome as 15 heads of African states in the last summit endorsed the Mbeki proposal and consider it as the fair proposal.”

A referendum on the future of Abyei was postponed after disagreements over voting conditions between the two nations in January 2011.  Numerous clashes over disputed boundaries since then culminated in a 2012 agreement to demilitarise the border between Sudan and South Sudan but neither side has implemented this yet.

Photo: Luka Biong (gossmission.org)