Abyei: Unity state calls on presidency to speed up north-south border demarcation

Yesterday, Unity state’s advisor on press affairs, Gor Paul Ngundeng, said Unity's call on Sudan's presidency for the immediate demarcation of boundaries is to help encourage peaceful coexistence between the citizens of Southern Kordofan and Unity state.  Mr Ngundeng is quoted as saying:

"We, the people of Unity state, are demanding the ownership of our towns such as the Heglig, Karasana, Kor Machar and Kurudi.

The problem right now is that Karasana is not under our [Unity state] administration and according to the north-south boundary of 1956 it should belong to Unity state. So should Heglig.

There were no conflicts between us [Unity state] and our brothers in Kordofan until the discovery of the oil in the area. What we the citizens of Unity state want is the land, not the resources.

We are saying the oil is for the country but the land belongs to the citizens of Unity state.”

Source: Sudan Radio Service, Friday, 24 July 2009.  Full story:
Unity State Calls for Quick Border Demarcation

(Bentiu) – The authorities in Unity State are calling on the Presidency to speed up north-south border demarcation.

Unity state’s advisor on press affairs, Gor Paul Ngundeng, spoke to Sudan Radio Service by phone from Bentiu on Friday.

[Gor Paul Ngundeng]: “We, the people of Unity state, the citizens and the government, were waiting for the arbitration ruling on Abyei area like other Sudanese citizens in the south and north. We, the people of Unity state, are demanding the ownership of our towns such as the Heglig, Karasana, Kor Machar and Kurudi. We are calling on the presidency to speed up the border demarcation process between us [Unity state] and Kordofan, in coordination with local authorities, chiefs, higher authorities and civil society organizations including the citizens of Kordofan, Upper Nile and Unity states.”

Ngundeng said the call for the immediate demarcation of boundaries is to help encourage peaceful coexistence between the citizens of Southern Kordofan and Unity state.

[Gor Paul Ngundeng]: “The problem right now is that Karasana is not under our [Unity state] administration and according to the north-south boundary of 1956 it should belong to Unity state. So should Heglig. In the past, they used to say that Heglig belonged to the central government because it has oil-fields but the issues was not raised because there were no conflicts between us [Unity state] and our brothers in Kordofan until the discovery of the oil in the area. What we the citizens of Unity state want is the land, not the resources. In Sudan in the past, the country’s income was coming from Al-Gezira agricultural schemes. Thirty years ago, the country’s income started coming from Unity state in the Heglig area. That is why we are saying the oil is for the country but the land belongs to the citizens of Unity state.”

Gor Paul Ngundeng, the Unity state advisor on Press Affairs, was speaking to Sudan Radio Service by phone from Bentiu on Friday.