Abyei-Twic conflict is man-made: Dr Biong
The associate professor at the University of Juba, Dr. Luka Biong, accused some individuals of creating the current conflict on the border between Ngok Dinka of Abyei and Twic, saying there was no pre-existing animosity between the communities.
“The issue of the border between the Ngok Dinka of Abyei and Twic has never been a problem and if it exists as claimed by some individuals, it could be resolved amicably and through traditional dispute resolution mechanisms or by resorting to a competent court of law,” he said after his meeting with the First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar, on Wednesday to discuss the status of the Abyei and Twic border issues.
He hailed President Salva Kiir for the establishment of Abyei Special Administrative Area from the constitutional provisions, which he said defined the boundaries of Abyei Special Administrative Area (Abyei Box) as per the International Arbitration Tribunal Award.
“We agreed with Dr. Riek Machar that there is a need to create awareness about the Abyei box as it is based on the legal award and ruling of the international arbitration tribunal and not created by any individual or individuals,” he said.
Dr. Biong noted that President Kiir had appointed Dr. Machar and him as co-agents, together with other members, to represent South Sudan and the SPLM at the International Abyei Boundaries Arbitration Tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, in 2008.
He added that the representation came as a result of the refusal of the Islamic regime of former Sudanese leader Omar al Bashir to recognise the final and binding report of the Abyei Boundaries Commission (ABC) and its call to resort to a final and binding international arbitration.
Dr. Biong continued that the procedure took nearly nine months and featured a “major litigation process concerning social, historical, and legal facts about the Abyei territory, as well as the participation of representatives from communities bordering the Ngok Dinka of Abyei, including Twic.”
The final award declared in July 2009 by the International Tribunal defines the area of the nine Ngok chiefdoms transferred in 1905 from Bahr el Ghazal province in southern Sudan to Kordofan province in northern Sudan, with a map of the Abyei Area attached to the final award.
He argued that Abyei box is legally recognized in the constitution of the Republic of South Sudan and the constitution of the Republic of Sudan, and the United Nations as well.
