ABYEI, SUDAN LATEST: PCA ruled that the eastern and western borders of Abyei should be redrawn, reducing the size of the region (Update 7)

The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague has decided not to accept the boundaries as drawn up by the Abyei Boundary Commission and has ruled that the boundaries of Sudan's disputed oil-producing region of Abyei should be redrawn.

In reaction to the ruling today, Douglas Johnson, who was part of the international panel who drew up the 2005 border proposals, said the Hague agreement had respected ethnic boundaries as well as north and south rivalries.

"Each side can say they were right about something, and each side can come away feeling that they have been given something from this arrangement," he told the BBC World Service.

Speaking in the Abyei town shortly after the PCA announced its decision, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Sudan Ashraf Qazi underlined the importance of a clear and final resolution of Abyei's boundaries.

"Both parties have agreed that this question is now settled. I call on all involved to cooperate to implement the decision according to the plan the parties adopted in recent talks and to guarantee the long term interests of the people of the region in accordance with the PCA," he said.

He emphasized that the decision's primary practical impact would be upon the administrative definition of the Abyei Area.

"The Ngok-Dinka and Misseriya will have all the rights guaranteed to them by the PCA and the Interim Constitution, as well as all of Abyei's people," said Qazi.

Sources:  See here below, full details of initial reports following today's ruling. I am in awe of how quickly the reporters managed to produce such great reports at breakneck speed. Take a look at the quotes Reuters were able to gather.

Many thanks to Sudan Radio Service for being (as far as I know) the first to break the news this morning with this emailed report -

ABYEI LATEST from Sudan Radio Service on Wednesday, 22  July 2009:

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague has ruled that the boundaries of Sudan's disputed oil-producing region of Abyei should be redrawn. In todays’s announcement, the PCA ruled that the eastern and western borders of Abyei should be redrawn, reducing the size of the region.

The region is claimed by both north and south Sudan. Fighting in Abyei in April last year left 100 people dead and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes. The town was razed to the ground.

In its decision, which was made public earlier today, the Permanent Court of Arbitration decided not to accept the boundaries as drawn up by the Abyei Boundary Commission. The Commission was set up following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005. Its deliberations were rejected by the north.

In Wednesday’s ruling, the PCA ruled that the eastern and western borders of Abyei should be redrawn, reducing the size of the region.

Both the SPLM and the NCP have pledged to abide by the decision of the court but have recently accused each other of moving troops into the area.

Further updates will follow from Sudan Radio Service.

IRIN - BACKGROUND TO THE ABYEI RULING

What is the Abyei Protocol?

A chapter of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) (www.sudanarchive.net), which provides for a referendum in 2011 when Abyei will decide whether to join the north or the south, and for a joint administration until then. The protocol outlines how the region's oil revenue is shared between the Northern Government of National Unity (GNU) and the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) and enshrines the grazing rights of Misseriya pastoralists who live to the north of Abyei. It also tasked an Abyei Boundaries Commission to "define and demarcate" the area, whose borders are disputed by north and south.

Chapter IV of the CPA states that the people who live in Abyei permanently are of the Ngok section of the Dinka ethnic group. Arab communities, including the Misseriya, traditionally move through the area at certain seasons with their livestock for pasture, water and trade, meaning that the two communities regularly interact - and have clashed in the past.

What is the role of the Permanent Court of Arbitration?

The commission's "final and binding" ruling, issued in July 2005, determined that Abyei was much larger than the northern government claimed. Abyei's size matters because it affects how much oil is apportioned to the area and because in a referendum scheduled for 2011, Abyei's residents are likely to vote to join Southern Sudan's administration. The GNU rejected the ruling by insisting the commission had exceeded its mandate.

Both sides agreed that an Abyei Arbitration Tribunal, sitting at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, should decide whether this assertion was valid and by extension whether the commission's boundaries remained in force. They further agreed that if the court found the commission had exceeded its mandate, the court should make a fresh ruling on Abyei's boundaries based on submissions by both parties.

Why is it so important to resolve the dispute?

The 1972 Addis Ababa peace agreement, which ended the first civil war (1956-1972), also included provisions for a referendum among the Abyei Ngok Dinka on whether or not to join what was then a semi-autonomous Southern Region. Failure to implement those provisions was a factor in the re-ignition of civil war in the early 1980s.

It has remained a hotbed of tension since the CPA was signed: in May 2008 clashes displaced tens of thousands of people in Abyei and the town was set on fire. Failure to properly implement the Abyei Protocol is likely to exacerbate not only conflict between local communities but also the increasingly strained relations between Khartoum and GOSS.

Abyei lies at the faultline of Sudan. It encapsulates the cultural and livelihoods divide of the country, but at its best could also exemplify peaceful interdependence at the community level. It is a key stronghold of the South's most powerful ethnic group, the Dinka. It may contain only less than a quarter of the country's current production, but it is possibly the largest proven reserve over which the rest of Sudan may claim control.

- - -

UPDATE 2:

News just in from Aljazeera Wednesday, July 22, 2009 14:06 Mecca Time, 11:06 GMT - Court rules on Sudan Abyei dispute - excerpt:

An international court has redrawn the borders of Sudan's Abyei region to give the Khartoum government control of the Heglig oilfields and the Nile oil pipeline.

Both the Sudanese government and former rebels in the south pledged on Wednesday to abide by the ruling of the Abyei Arbitration Tribunal in The Hague.

"We have made a very important gain in this award," Dirdeiry Mohamed Ahmed, the Sudanese government representative at the tribunal, said.

"This territory includes the disputed oil fields."

UPDATE 3:
Super report from Reuters, 22 Jul 2009 11:30:25 GMT.  Reporting by Andrew Heavens in Abyei, Khalid Abdul Aziz in Khartoum and Aaron Gray-Block in the Hague; Writing by Alastair Sharp in Cairo):INSTANT VIEW: Court ruling on Sudan's Abyei region

(ABYEI, Sudan) - An international court left mostly intact the northern border of Sudan's disputed oil-producing Abyei area on Wednesday, but redefined its eastern and western boundaries.

The borders of Abyei are seen as a key stumbling block in implementation of a battered 2005 north-south peace deal that ended over two decades of civil war fought largely along ethnic and religious lines.

Following are some reactions to the ruling by officials from both sides of the conflict, which is separate from the ongoing unrest in Darfur:

MUTRIF SIDDIG, SUDANESE FOREIGN MINISTRY UNDERSECRETARY REPRESENTING SUDAN'S CENTRAL GOVERNMENT
"We respect this decision. And this decision is final and binding because all the parties agreed from the beginning that the decision of the court was binding and final. Also, the decision guarantees the rights of Misseriya pastoralists... We think the decision is a step forward."

DENG ALOR, FOREIGN MINISTER IN COALITION GOVERNMENT WHO REPRESENTS FORMER SOUTHERN REBELS
"The decision ... is binding on the parties. SPLM (Sudan People's Liberation Movement) and the people of this area will respect and implement that decision with regards to the northern boundaries. The northern boundaries, as far as the Dinka are concerned, remain the same. The court has dismissed the shared area and has annexed the shared area to the Misseriya. With regards to the east and west, the Dinka have lost some small areas ... But all in all we think the decision of the court is acceptable."
"We need to see the line on paper and on land so we really determine where the (oil) wells fall."

SCOTT GRATION, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY TO SUDAN
"I am very optimistic ... I had an opportunity to drive through Abyei and see the changes. The new building, the new construction, the repairs that have been done. I have also had an opportunity to spend the last month talking to senior members and leaders of the SPLM and the NCP, and I have got to tell you, I'm optimistic. The commitments that these folks have made in words, I am convinced that they will be carried out in deed and that this arbitration decision will be fully implemented. The border will be demarcated and the Dinka and the Misseriya will live for a long time in peace. This area will be one where people can grow up to have and enjoy the benefits that are coming to this region with development. Everyone is committed to this arbitration which is final and binding, and I think it is going to work out just fine."

ASHRAF QAZI, SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL FOR SUDAN
"The decision is final and binding on both parties, and both parties have already committed themselves to accept the decision as final and binding ... This will pave the way for the peaceful implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement as a whole. The rights of both communities have been guaranteed as a matter of international law. So even if anybody is not 100 percent satisfied, I do believe this has been a win-win decision for both sides. And both sides deserve to be congratulated for cooperating and committing themselves to the peaceful implementation of this final decision."

ABDEL BAQI AL-JAILANI, STATE MINISTER FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS FROM SUDAN'S DOMINANT NATIONAL CONGRESS PARTY
"There is no distinct line between Dinka and Misseriya in this area. People are intermingling. They reflect the unity of Sudan. We are looking to this area as a start point for the referendum of 2011. This will be the focal point where Sudan starts to unite... Nobody expected to get 100 percent of what he wanted. But there is a good compromise."
"It is accepted and we are committed to applying it ... The Misseriya will access water and the area. I don't thing there is anything to upset the Misseriya or the north in particular."

RIEK MACHAR, VICE PRESIDENT OF SOUTH SUDAN
"We want peace. We think this decision is going to consolidate the peace ... We came to see justice and it's a decision we will respect.

UPDATE 4:

From BBC News at 12:03 GMT, Wednesday, 22 July 2009 13:03 UK:
Sudanese accept oil border ruling

North and south Sudan say they accept a border ruling by judges in The Hague that gives a big oilfield to the north.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration has redrawn the boundaries of Abyei region, which became a flashpoint during a 22-year-long war between north and south.

The judges decided not to abide by the borders proposed after the 2005 peace deal, which the north had rejected.

Instead it ruled that several areas - including the Heglig oilfied - were not part of Abyei.

Although The Hague court was deciding where Abyei's borders lay rather than who owned the land, analysts say the ruling was crucial in determining the ownership of the oilfields.

Abyei's inhabitants will be asked in a referendum in 2011 whether they want to be a part of north or south Sudan - and analysts say they are likely to opt for a union with the south.

By reducing the size of Abyei compared with the 2005 proposals, the court has effectively awarded more land and mineral wealth to the north.

The BBC's James Copnall in the capital, Khartoum, says the reaction on the ground to the judges' ruling will be a key test of the peace between north and south.

'Victory for peace'

Dirdeiry Mohamed Ahmed, the head of the northern government delegation at The Hague, called the decision a victory.

"We welcome the fact that the oilfields are now excluded from the Abyei area, particularly the Heglig oil field," the Associated Press quoted him as saying.

The south's delegate Riak Machar, vice president in southern Sudan's semi-autonomous government, described the decision as "balanced" and said he was committed to respecting it.

"I think this is going to consolidate peace in Sudan. It is a victory for the Sudanese people and a victory for peace," he said.

The issue was referred to The Hague last year after clashes broke out in Abyei town, killing about 100 people and forcing tens of thousands to flee.

UN peacekeepers beefed up their presence in Abyei this week amid fears that a controversial ruling could spark violence.

Douglas Johnson, who was part of the international panel who drew up the 2005 border proposals, said the Hague agreement had respected ethnic boundaries as well as north and south rivalries.

"Each side can say they were right about something, and each side can come away feeling that they have been given something from this arrangement," he told the BBC World Service.

Rights 'guaranteed'

The area is home to Arab cattle herders known as the Misseriya who are loyal to the north, and the Dinka Ngok, part of the largest ethnic group of the south.

Both sides compete for resources like land for grazing and water - rivalries that were exploited during the civil war with both sides being used as proxy armies.

The conflict between the mainly Muslim north and the Christian and animist south claimed 1.5 million lives.

UN special envoy to Sudan Ashraf Qazi said the Abyei border ruling would pave the way for the 2005 peace deal to be implemented as a whole.

"The rights of both communities have been guaranteed as a matter of international law," he said.

"So even if anybody is not 100% satisfied, I do believe this has been a win-win decision for both sides."

As part of the peace agreement the south will hold a referendum in 2011 on whether to become independent from the north.

UPDATE 5:

From Xinhua (KHARTOUM) 22 July 2009 - excerpt:
UN top representative in Sudan welcomes int'l arbitration over Abyei

Speaking in the Abyei town shortly after the PCA announced its decision, Qazi underlined the importance of a clear and final resolution of Abyei's boundaries.

"Both parties have agreed that this question is now settled. I call on all involved to cooperate to implement the decision according to the plan the parties adopted in recent talks and to guarantee the long term interests of the people of the region in accordance with the PCA," he said.

He emphasized that the decision's primary practical impact would be upon the administrative definition of the Abyei Area.

"The Ngok-Dinka and Misseriya will have all the rights guaranteed to them by the PCA and the Interim Constitution, as well as all of Abyei's people," said Qazi.

UPDATE 6:
Email just in from enough project org c. 15:15 GMT UK 22 July 2009:

For Immediate Release July 22, 2009

Contact: Eileen White Read

eread@enoughproject.org

STATEMENTS: International Court Decison on Abyei, Sudan

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague issued a decision today on the boundary of Abyei - an oil-rich and contested region along the disputed internal border between the northern and southern regions of Sudan.

The following statements regarding the decision by the Court’s Abyei Arbitration Tribunal were issued by The Enough Project at the Center for American Progress, the Save Darfur Coalition, and the Genocide Intervention Network:

Enough Project Co-founder John Prendergast noted, “The international community’s track record on Abyei is wildly mixed. After having negotiated the provisions of the peace deal, no one was willing to enforce it when the National Congress Party decided not to accept the previous ruling. It is time to rectify that mistake and create consequences for either party if they undermine implementation."

Jerry Fowler, President of the Save Darfur Coalition, added, “We are encouraged that the U.S. Special Envoy has traveled to Abyei for today’s announcement, but sustained pressure from the United States and others will be critical to ensuring that both sides adhere to their commitments on Abyei and other Comprehensive Peace Agreement benchmarks. As in Darfur, the potential for violence in Abyei remains significant, so we call upon the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Sudan, UNMIS, to strengthen its presence in Abyei and take all necessary measures to protect civilians.”

Sam Bell, Executive Director of the Genocide Intervention Network, commented, “With even small provocations on the ground in Abyei, the situation could erode quite quickly. International leadership is essential to making sure that does not happen. All parties must be held accountable for their actions, and for those of their proxies.”

For more information, read Enough’s strategy paper, Abyei: Sudan’s Next Test.

UPDATE 7:

Snapshot of Google's newsreel 16:30 pm GMT UK 22 July 2009

US, EU Urge Sudan Rivals To Implement Oil Region Ruling

Zawya - ‎24 minutes ago‎

The International Court of Arbitration shrank the land mass of the flashpoint Abyei region by 8099 square kilometers by redrawing its northern, ...

EU: Hague court ruling on Sudan's Abyei region 'important step'

Earthtimes (press release) - ‎39 minutes ago‎

Stockholm - A ruling by a court in The Hague adjusting the boundaries of the disputed oil-rich Abyei region in Sudan was "an important step" for the ...

SNAP ANALYSIS-Risks remain after Sudan's Abyei ruling

Reuters - Andrew Heavens, Giles Elgood - ‎58 minutes ago‎

ABYEI, July 22 (Reuters) - The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on Wednesday re-drew the boundaries of Sudan's contested Abyei ...

US - European Union Joint Declaration on the Boundaries of the ...

US Department of State - ‎1 hour ago‎

The decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration regarding the boundaries of the disputed area of Abyei is an important step in the implementation of the ...

Hague court adjusts boundaries of Sudan's Abyei region - Summary

Earthtimes (press release) - ‎1 hour ago‎

The Hague - The boundaries of the Sudan's disputed oil-rich Abyei region between the north and south and is to be adjusted slightly, an ad-hoc tribunal of ...

INSTANT VIEW: Court ruling on Sudan's Abyei region

Reuters - ‎1 hour ago‎

ABYEI, Sudan (Reuters) - An international court redefined borders of Sudan's disputed oil-producing Abyei area on Wednesday. The borders of Abyei are seen ...

Abyei loses an oil field, Sudan gains better prospects for peace?

UN Dispatch - ‎1 hour ago‎

As Mark forecasted, The Hague's Permanent Court of Arbitration handed down a ruling today on Abyei, the contentious border area that could prove the ...

Abyei arbitration - Final award rendered

ReliefWeb (press release) - ‎1 hour ago‎

In the Arbitration Agreement, the Parties agreed to submit, for final and binding decision, their dispute as to whether or not the experts of the Abyei ...

SPLM Official on Tensions in Abyei on Eve of ICJ Ruling

Asharq Alawsat - Mustapha Sirri - ‎1 hour ago‎

[Asharq Al-Awsat] How is the situation in Abyei and what are your expectations from the ruling? [Biong Deng] The general situations are stable but there is ...

Abyei Arbitration court redefines bonders of the disputed area

Sudan Tribune - ‎1 hour ago‎

July 14, 2009 (THE HAGUE) — The Abyei Arbitration Tribunal (AAT) stated today that the experts of AbyeiBoundary Commission (ABC) partially exceeded their ...

Afrik.com

Sudan: Disputed oil-rich Abyei region to be redrawn to appease ...

Afrik.com - Konye Obaji - ‎2 hours ago‎

The United Nations have increased its peacekeeping mission in the disputed oil-rich Abyeiregion of Sudan ahead of a decision by The Hague to redraw the ...

UN News Centre

Top UN envoy welcomes ruling on disputed Sudanese town

UN News Centre - ‎2 hours ago‎

22 July 2009 – The top United Nations envoy to Sudan welcomed today's court ruling on the disputed oil-rich area of Abyei, saying he hopes it will foster ...

Peace partners in Sudan voice commitment to arbitration over Abyei

Xinhua - Li Xianzhi - ‎2 hours ago‎

ABYEI, Sudan, July 22 (Xinhua) -- The two peace partners in Sudan, the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and the former rebel Sudan People's Liberation ...

Arbitration court rules on Abyei

afrol News - ‎2 hours ago‎

Abyei's inhabitants will be asked in a referendum in 2011 whether they want to be a part of north or south Sudan. Both the Sudanese government and former ...

AFP

Khartoum claims oil fields as court redraws borders

AFP - ‎2 hours ago‎

The International Court of Arbitration shrank the land mass of the flashpoint Abyei region by 8099 square kilometres by redrawing its northern, ...

After more than one year, care continues for displaced in Agok and ...

Medecins Sans Frontieres - ‎3 hours ago‎

MSF has been working in Abyei hospital since 2006. Following violence in May last year an emergency team responded to the needs of the displaced, ...

2009年7月22日星期三18:09 BJT

路透中国 - Aaron Gray-Block, Giles Elgood - ‎5 hours ago‎

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - An international court redefined the eastern and western boundaries of the disputed oil-producing Abyei area ...

Aljazeera.net

Abyei tribes fear losing land

Aljazeera.net - ‎6 hours ago‎

Abyei has long been Sudan's cultural bridge linking the African south of the country to the Arab north. A region located on the boundary between northern ...

Click on Abyei label here below for related reports.

ABYEI, SUDAN: Messiriya leader says Messiriya and Dinka Ngok will not be proxies in Abyei conflict

The Hague Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling on Abyei borders demarcation case will be issued at 10 am CET on Wednesday, 22 July 2009 in a press conference at the Hague. For further information - and details of webcasts - click here to see Press Release at PCA's website.

In today's news from Sudan, some of it noted here below, Messiriya leader Hamadain Abdallah Eisa Eltahib says Messiriya and Dinka Ngok will not be proxies in Abyei conflict

South Kordofan Governor, Ahmed Haroun, expects that the stakeholders will appreciate the Court ruling.  Haroun held a meeting yesterday with the Chief to the Joint Commission for Fire Cessation, UN-AU Hybrid Force Commander Gen. Baban, for deliberation on how to maintain calmness and stability in the region.

The area's status and boundaries were among the most sensitive issues left undecided in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended more than two decades of civil war between the Khartoum government and southern rebels.

Tomorrow's ruling will not actually decide whether Abyei goes to north or south Sudan. That decision will be made by the people of Abyei themselves, in a referendum promised in January 2011.

The ruling will decide precisely what area of land is covered by Abyei. The south, banking on a yes vote in the referendum, says Abyei district's northern border stretches far north of Abyei town, taking in oil fields and key grazing ground. North Sudan begs to differ.

Source:  Sudan Radio Service, Sudan Vision Daily, Reuters.  Full story:  

From Sudan Radio Service, Tuesday, 21 July 2009:
Messiriya and Dinka Ngok Will Not Be Proxies in Abyei Conflict

(Nairobi) - As the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague prepares to announce its judgment on the Abyei boundary issue, focus has turned to whether the SPLM and the NCP will respect the ruling of the Tribunal.

Last week, the NCP and the SPLM, together with Messiriya and Dinka Ngok leaders reiterated their commitment to abide by the Tribunal's decision which will be made public on Wednesday, July 22.

Hamadain Abdallah Eisa Eltahib is a Messiriya leader.  

Sudan Radio Service asked him whether Khartoum and Juba are using Abyei as a pretext for going back to war.

[Hamadain Abdallah Eisa Eltahib]: “No. From now on, the Messiriya and the Dinka Ngok have decided that they are not going to be used by the politicians from North or from the south. The government in Khartoum claims that the Arabs are on their side but the Messiriya area doesn’t belong to the north. So we claim that when it comes to a referendum, we have the right to choose either to go to the north or the south. We respect the CPA, we are waiting for the elections, for democracy and also we are waiting for the choice of the people of South Kordofan; that includes the Messiriya, the Nuba, and the other minority tribes. The Dinka Ngok and Messiriya have been living together for 200 years and so we have come together and we are going to avoid any clashes on the ground, we are aware that peace and reconciliation will be the best for the people. But oil is the issue - because if there was no oil, Abyei would not be a problem.”

That was Hamadain Abdallah Eisa Eltahib, a Messiriya leader, speaking to Sudan Radio Service on Monday in Nairobi.

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From Sudan Vision Daily by Al Sammani/Zuleikha, Tuesday, July 21, 2009:

SAF, SPLA, UNMIS to Implement NCP-SPLM Plan for Effecting PCA Verdict

(Khartoum) - Sudan Armed Force (SAF), Sudan Peoples' Liberation Army (SPLA) and UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) have agreed to co-implement the joint plan set by the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement (SPLM) for effecting, on the ground, The Hague Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling on Abyei borders demarcation case.

The Joint Commission for Fire Cessation, that includes representatives of NCP, SPLM, SAF, SPLA and UNMIS, resolved to issue a joint memo on the situation in Abyei with emphasis on the criticality of fire cessation respect, by all stakeholders, following the PCA ruling announcement set for tomorrow.

The Commission's meeting, participated in by the UNSG Special Representative in Sudan, Ashraf Qazi, decided to conduct a joint visit to Abyei area after the ruling announcement to convey to local peoples the NCP-SPLM commitment to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) implementation.

The meeting also called on SAF, SPLA and the Joint Integrated Units (JIU) to effect the Court verdict on the ground, monitor security and order, besides handling of violations if any.

The meeting was co-chaired by the NCP representative, State Minister to Presidency, Idris Mohammed Abdelgadir, SPLM representative, Professor George Bureng and Ashraf Qazi.

Abyei Commissioner, Ahmed Omer, reported that arrangements have been undertaken make to the peoples of the region prepared for accepting the PCA ruling, urging the Messariyi and Dinka Ngok tribes to resort to the sound of reason and peaceful coexistence.

South Kordofan Governor, Ahmed Haroun, expects that the stakeholders will appreciate the Court ruling when it will be issued tomorrow morning in a press conference at the Hague.

Haroun held a meeting yesterday with the Chief to the Joint Commission for Fire Cessation, UN-AU Hybrid Force Commander Gen. Baban, for deliberation on how to maintain calmness and stability in the region.

- - -

From Reuters by Andrew Heavens in Sudan, Tuesday, 21 July 2009:
Tension mounts ahead of ruling in Sudan's Abyei

* Hague court to rule on Abyei border

* Citizens brace for potentially divisive ruling

(ABYEI, Sudan) - Nyok Galwak ran for his life when the shells and bullets from Sudan's northern and southern armies started raining down on his tyre-repair stall in the contested oil town of Abyei in May last year.

Now, more than a year later, he is back at his shack at the centre of the battle-scarred settlement claimed by both Sudan's Muslim north and its mostly Christian south, bracing himself for more trouble.

Abyei's citizens are preparing for the announcement of a divisive ruling on the boundaries of their district, expected on Wednesday from a tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.

A year ago, the competing claims over the area exploded in violence. On Wednesday, both Khartoum and the former southern rebels, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), have agreed to accept the decision peacefully.

But that assurance has done little to ease the tension. "The town seems calm, but the fear is under the surface," said one U.N. worker who asked not to be named.

There is much more at stake than local politics and the demarcation of local boundaries.

Abyei lies at the heart of an oil-producing, pastoral district at the heart of Africa's largest country, straddling its undefined north-south border.

The area's status and boundaries were among the most sensitive issues left undecided in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended more than two decades of civil war between the Khartoum government and southern rebels.

Many see the north-south rivalry that still burns over Abyei as a microcosm of the dangerous divisions that remain at the heart of the country four years after the historic accord, divisions that could still threaten the peace deal, the country's oil industry and the region as a whole.

Wednesday's ruling will not actually decide whether Abyei goes to north or south Sudan. That decision will be made by the people of Abyei themselves, in a referendum promised in January 2011.

LAND RULING

The ruling will decide precisely what area of land is covered by Abyei. The south, banking on a yes vote in the referendum, says Abyei district's northern border stretches far north of Abyei town, taking in oil fields and key grazing ground. North Sudan begs to differ.

"We don't know what is going to happen after the decision. But this time I am going to stay here," said Galwak, a member of Abyei's Dinka Ngok ethnic group, part of south Sudan's Dinka group. "Abyei is ours. If there is going to be any trouble, it will be started by the Misseriya," he said, referring to the northern Arab nomads who have also driven their cattle through the region for many years.

Galwak's bravado hasn't stopped him taking precautions. Like many others, he has only partly moved back to Abyei - his family still lives outside the town.

The cautious approach is apparent everywhere. Abyei is still a ghost of its former self -- only around 3,000 are now thought to live in the town and surrounding villages out of the 50,000 people who lived there before the May fighting.

Few have felt confident enough about the future to invest in the area. Some of the larger shell holes have been patched up, some roofs repaired, landmines cleared. But children still walk past the blackened circles of burnt-out huts while whole town blocks are empty and covered in rubbish.

"Nothing has changed in Abyei from last year. Nobody is ready to put up a hut let alone a proper building," Arop Mayok, head of Abyei's joint north-south administration.

Few people expect an immediate explosion of fighting on Wednesday. The current rainy season is never the best time for troop movements. At the very least, it will take a while for the new of the ruling to spread -- most of the surrounding communities have little to no access to media.

Prominent northern and southern leaders have also promised to be on the ground on Wednesday to quell any trouble.

But still the fears of looming trouble persist.

Over the weekend, the U.N. said southern soldiers had been seen south of Abyei, breaching an agreement to pull out of the area after May 2008.

"There is no great sense of imminent danger," said the U.N.'s Abyei chief Mark Rutgers. "But people remember May. They are apprehensive."

(Editing by Giles Elgood)

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Image source: Voice of America, 20 July 2009 - Abyei Boundary Ruling Expected Wednesday

Abyei from above



Photo: Abyei from above, circa 2006. See the original (check out large size) photo and more from Abyei at the blog of Karl Maier and Sarah Longford - Making Rain Fall.

Further reading

The Abyei ruling: what it’s about & why it matters - Bec Hamilton.com 20 July 2009.

SUDAN: Abyei timeline - a timeline for the Abyei boundary dispute, courtesy of IRIN, 21 July 2009.

Governor calls on Dinka Ngok and Misseriya to resume ancestral ties - Sudan Tribune, 22 July 2009. Note this copy of a comment at the article:

A bit of Clarification on Abyei Ruling

22 July 2009 10:28, by Deng Akec Deng Anguii
The ruling the Permanent Court of Arbitration(PCA) is going to make later today is not whether Abyei is part of the South or North. But whether ABC (Abyei Boundary Commission) has exceeded its mandate of defining the area of 9 (nine) Ngok Dinka chiefdoms which was transferred from South to north in 1905. If the ABC has exceeded its mandate, then the court has to define Abyei boundaries based on the evidence submitted by the parties(NCP & SPLM). If the court finds that the ABC experts did not exceed their mandate, then it will order immediate and full implementation of ABC Reports.

This arbitration ruling is misunderstood by some people including journalists to be a ruling on where Abyei longs, whether to the South or north. Whether Abyei should be part of South or north rests with people of Abyei but that is until about January 2011 when the people of Abyei will excercise their rights of Referandum on where Abyei should be as stipulated in Abyei Protocols. So, this is just a definition of Abyei boundaries and there is more to do to get Abyei transferred back to the South.

The important of this ruling is that either way, that is whether it is in favour of ABC Reports or not, it would be better than the current border which regimes in north defined in their favour. The ruling will force NCP to implement either ABC Reports or the border the court will define. If NCP refuse to implement Arbitration Court ruling as they did with ABC Reports, then the action the people of Abyei and Southern Sudan take is justified.

Anyways, there is more information about Abyei Arbitration Tribunal including the broadcast of the ruling at the following link: http://www.pca-cpa.org/showpage.asp...
Best regards, Deng Akec Deng Anguii/

Click on Abyei label here below for further details and latest reports on Abyei.

Djibouti/Eritrea: UN Security Council Update Report

There seems to be a considerable amount of frustration among Council members with Eritrea’s behaviour on the border conflict with Djibouti and its refusal to comply with the Council’s demands. But at the moment they seem much more concerned with Eritrea’s interference in Somalia, where the TFG is being seriously threatened by the insurgency. It seems therefore likely that discussions on any further measures against Eritrea will focus on its role in Somalia, but may also address the Djibouti border dispute.

France is the lead country on this issue in the Council.

On Tuesday 21 July Council members will meet in closed consultations to discuss the situation between Djibouti and Eritrea. A briefing by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe is expected. Eritrea has not complied with the Council’s demands in resolution 1862 that it withdraw its forces from the disputed area, acknowledge the dispute, engage in dialogue and abide by its obligations as a UN member state (the original deadline was 18 February). No immediate Council outcome is expected.

Source: 20 July 2009 Security Council Update Report on Djibouti/Eritrea

African Champions League: El-Merrikh and El-Hilal drawing 0-0 in Omdurman, Sudan

Great footballing news from Sudan Radio Service, Monday, 20 July 2009:
Sudan teams Draw in Saturday's Champion League Match

(Khartoum) – The opening match of the African Champions League began on Saturday with El-Merrikh and El-Hilal drawing 0-0 at El-Merrikh stadium in Omdurman.

It was an exciting match for fans of both sides given the rivalry between the teams battling for soccer supremacy in the country. There was a heavy presence of anti-riot police in and around the stadium. A sport columnist for Al-Ayaam newspaper, Badr eL-Din el-Basha, described the match to Sudan Radio Service.

[Badri El-din El-Basha]: “I’m happy that El-Merrikh and El-Hilal have reached this level. This shows that Sudanese football has gone on to higher level. The two teams have not reached this stage easily; it comes from the efforts of the administration, the club members, the bench and so on. They began playing this match under pressure. It is clear there was pressure from the media, fans and administrators. You can see the first half was played in a bad mood – without concentration, they did not execute the plans of their respective coaches. Yesterday (Saturday) they were playing under pressure.”

The first half began with El-Hilal dominating possession, forcing El-Merrikh to play defensively until in the eighteenth minute when El-Merrikh’s striker Kletchi Osunwa made a dramatic attempt to score from outside the penalty box. His shot was saved by El-Hilal’s goalkeeper Muwiz Mahjoub. El-Hilal kept on their pressure up to half-time but failed to make an impression on the score.

El-Merrikh’s bench apparently changed tack and they dominated the second half but failed to score. Nevertheless, the match result is in Hilal’s favor since they were playing away in group A of the African Champions League trophy.

Click on 'CECAFA' label here below for previous news of footballing in Sudan.



Photo: Al Merreikh Stadium, Omdurman, Sudan (Merrikh - Red Castle/zerozerofootball.com)

Omdurman (Standard Arabic Umm Durmān أم درمان) is the largest city in Sudan and Khartoum State, lying on the western banks of the river Nile, opposite the capital, Khartoum. Omdurman has a population of over 3 million (2007) and is the national center of commerce. With Khartoum and Khartoum North or Bahri, it forms the cultural and industrial heart of the nation.

CLICK HERE TO SEE SOME PHOTOS OF OMDURMAN, JEBEL MARRA AND OTHER FASCINATING PLACES IN SUDAN

MV Faina cargo: 100 tanks were ordered by Government of South Sudan

Last February, Andrew Mwangura, a Kenyan pirate negotiator who receives no payment for his negotiating work, helped secure the release of a Ukrainian ship, MV Faina, hijacked off the coast of Somalia.  The ship was carrying Russian-made tanks and weapons. A ransom of $3.2m (£2m) was paid after months of negotiations.  The pirates had initially demanded more than tenfold that amount. At the time of the hijacking, Mr Mwangura was arrested for suggesting the arms on board were bound for South Sudan, something the Kenyan government denied.   

Mwangura, who heads the non-profit East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme which works to free ships held by Somali sea raiders, is set to be the subject of a Hollywood film.  Oscar-nominated actor Samuel L Jackson plans to star as Mwangura.  For sources and further details click on the label 'Faina' at the end of this blog post.

Now, here is another twist to the story.  According to the following report, 100 tanks were ordered by the Government of South Sudan (GOSS) and the MV Faina cargo was the last of three shipments of weapons bound for South Sudan.

From Jane's
IMINT tracks T-72 tanks towards South Sudan
By Lauren Gelfand and Allison Puccioni
07 July 2009

In September 2008 a Ukrainian-owned ship sailing towards the Kenyan port at Mombasa was hijacked off the coast of Somalia. The vessel, the MV Faina, captured public attention for its cargo: 33 T-72 main battle tanks (MBTs), weapons and ammunition and documents that identified the recipient as the government of South Sudan.

Officials confirmed to Jane's that the Faina cargo was the last of three shipments of weapons bound for the south. Published reports highlighted a previous shipment from Ukraine, which moved north in February 2008, comprising T-72s and assorted artillery, as well as a first shipment that had arrived in Mombasa in November 2007. In total, military and diplomatic sources confirmed to Jane's, 100 MBTs were ordered by South Sudan.

A 2005 agreement was meant to bring peace to the fractured nation; the reality, however, is a country still riven and fractured.

A ransom was paid to liberate the Faina in February and it arrived at Mombasa. The tanks were offloaded and transported to Kahawa barracks outside Nairobi, where they were to remain in the possession of the Kenyan military. Since March, however, eyewitness reports, some corroborated by photographic evidence, have placed the tanks elsewhere. At the same time, extensive construction has been ongoing at a military compound of the Sudan People's Liberation Army.

Jane's began an extensive satellite imagery canvass of the area in March, aiming to trace the movement of T-72s from Mombasa towards South Sudan. While the analysis does not conclude that the tanks aboard the Faina were in transit towards their ostensible rightful owners, it does show a pattern of tanks making their way north.



A first image captured by DigitalGlobe in March 2009 showed 33 tanks parked at Kahawa Barracks northeast of Nairobi (Source: Jane's - Image copyright DigitalGlobe Inc)

Hat tip: Rob Crilly, 18 July 2009 -- The Tanks That Won't Go Away



Photo: MV Faina, a hijacked Ukrainian ship carrying 33 tanks, is seen from a U.S. Navy ship in the Gulf of Aden, in this handout from the U.S. Navy, September 29, 2008. Three Somali pirates were killed in a shootout between rivals aboard a hijacked Ukrainian ship carrying 33 tanks, a maritime group monitoring the situation said on Tuesday. But the pirates denied any fighting on the MV Faina, seized six days ago in the most high-profile of a wave of hijackings off lawless Somalia this year. The pirates, under U.S. navy surveillance, are demanding a $20 million ransom. (Source:  Reuters/U.S. Navy-Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jason Zalasky/Handout (SOMALIA). FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. 

Click on Faina label here below to see related reports and latest updates.

UNAMID chief warns that tensions between Sudan and Chad remain "one of the major obstacles to the peace and security of Darfur"

UN News Centre reported that on Friday, 17 July 2009, the head of the joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur called on Sudan and Chad to end any hostile activities along their border amid fresh accusations of air strikes in the troubled region:

"Rodolphe Adada, the Joint AU-UN Special Representative, warned that the continuing tensions between the neighbouring countries remain “one of the major obstacles to the peace and security of Darfur.”

Mr. Adada, who heads the joint peacekeeping mission known as UNAMID, issued a press statement after Sudan accused Chad of carrying out air strikes in Umm Dukhum, a West Darfur village on its border with Chad.

“We are deeply concerned at such reports, which are being investigated by UNAMID, and I once again urge all parties to refrain from such escalation,” he said.

Mr. Adada stressed that dialogue is the only solution for the tensions between Chad and Sudan.

“I encourage you [the two Governments] to desist from conflict even as diplomatic efforts are being undertaken to bring an end to the ongoing tensions, which could exacerbate conditions for Darfur’s civilians. Good relations between Chad and Sudan are a key to ensuring lasting peace in the area.”

In Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s latest report to the Security Council on the work of UNAMID, released today, he said he is deeply concerned by the ongoing instability along the border and the “inflammatory rhetoric” of both sides.

Mr. Ban called on Khartoum and N’Djamena to end their support for one another’s rebel groups and to normalize their bilateral relations."

Full story:  UN News Centre, Friday, 17 July 2009 -- Joint African Union-UN envoy speaks out amid renewed Sudanese-Chadian tensions

S. Sudan: Gov't owned Radio Rumbek FM-98 back on air 5 hours a day

July 17, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — The government-owned Radio FM-98 is back on air broadcasting in Lakes state since last week, after pressure from Governor’s Advisor for Peace and Reconciliation, Hon. Andrea Mabor Biar.

The state-owned station had been off-air since June 1, allegedly due to a technical problem with the transmitter. Radio director Mr. James Magok Chilim said at the time that "The problem is going to be solved in about 45 days and above."

Full story by Manyang Mayom, Sudan Tribune, Saturday 18 July 2009 - Rumbek Radio-98 back on air broadcasting for five hours a day

UN's Qazi warns of escalation in Sudan's Abyei

The top representative of the United Nations in Sudan on Saturday warned of an escalation in Abyei, a disputed enclave between northern and southern Sudan, in view of an upcoming international arbitration on the oil-rich area.

"Over the past weeks, we have received several reports and confirmations of the presence of SPLA soldiers and elements of the Southern Sudan Police service in the area, especially in and around Agok," said Ashraf Qazi, the special representative of the UN secretary general for Sudan, in a statement issued in Khartoum.

"This is a clear violation of the Abyei Roadmap agreement and could lead to escalation and violence if it remained unchecked," the UN official added, demanding that all these armed groups immediately withdraw to outside the area.

He said the international community was closely monitoring in and around Abyei and expected all sides to behave in the most responsible manner in order to avoid violence.

Qazi emphasized the need for the UN peacekeeping force to have full freedom in the broader Abyei area and its vicinity, saying that "the restrictions on our freedom of movement, particularly at this sensitive juncture, impede the (peacekeeping) Mission from discharging its mandate effectively".

Full story by Editor Yan (Xinhua) KHARTOUM, 18 July 2009 -- UN official warns of escalation in Sudan's Abyei

Click on Labels:  Abyei here below to read previous reports.