Disputed Abyei Vote Might be Delayed
Khartoum, Sudan
Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) official has said that delaying the Abyei referendum will help break the impasse on talks with Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) on the fate of the disputed oil-rich region.
NCP deputy chairman said in a rally in the capital, Khartoum that the SPLM choices on the issue include accepting a delay to the Abyei referendum before finding a solution to outstanding differences.
Dispute over Abyei arises following the two sides failing to strike accord in recent series of talks on any possible border demarcations, sharing of oil resources and what would qualify as Abyei’s citizenship.
Voting rights of the Misseriya-Arab nomads in areas allocated to native Dinka Ngok- who form the greater population of the region- is yet to be decided, with the Misseriya threatening to carry out acts of violence if they won’t be allowed to participate. The SPLM accuses the north of settling the Misseriya in the region to influence the vote against the Dinka Ngok who support south’s independence.
The both referenda on south’s independence and Abyei’s fateful citizenship were scheduled on January 9 but political and logistical hindrances are seen to delay the much awaited historical exercise.
The US has raised concern over the possibilities of holding the Abyei vote as scheduled, calling for both sides to cooperate and come up with alternative resolution.
"We recognize that given that there is not agreement between north and south on the details of that referendum, if they are able to arrive at a different course of action, that is up to them, but it has to be a mutually agreeable alternative”, said US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley.
The vote marks the final phase in implementation of the 2005 peace agreement that ended a two-decade north-south civil war where over one million people died and thousands displaced.
Kinshasa, DR Congo
LRA Victims Appeal to Obama for Protection
Victims of atrocities by Uganda’s Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group have pleaded for urgent actions by the US President Barack Obama to end attacks by the rebel group.
In video podcasts, testimonies and letters posted by the Human Rights Watch on Thursday this week, victims from northern Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic appealed to the US president and other world leaders seeking their help to end suffering inflicted by the LRA.
Based on five research missions in these regions conducted between May and September this year, researchers recorded testimonies and messages from victims-adults and children-to Obama and other world leaders.
Driven out of Uganda in 2005, LRA continues to operate in remote border regions of northern DRC, Central African Republic and southern Sudan, where they continue to carry out their trademarked murder, abductions and pillage on local communities. US-backed military operations by region’s armies have failed to end LRA attacks on civilians.
The HRW had earlier urged Obama in a letter to ally with other world leaders to commit resources and intelligence to arrest LRA key leaders and protect communities at risk. Obama signed in May legislation requiring the US government to take measures to end LRA rebel operations in central Africa and protect civilians against its attacks.
UN peacekeeping missions operating in the region have been blamed for slow responses in protecting civilians against the LRA attacks. The rights group has called upon the UN Security Council to urgently discuss this regional threat and commit further actions and resources.
Under Joseph Kony the LRA has been fighting to instill theocratic rule in Uganda based on biblical rules and native Acholi traditions. Kony alongside two other LRA leaders are wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes committed in northern Uganda.