Conflict over Abyei causes serious difficulty in relations between the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan. Special provisions were made for Abyei in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ultimately led to the independence of South Sudan. It was agreed there would be a special referendum for the people of Abyei to vote on whether to be part of Sudan or South Sudan. That referendum hasn’t taken place because of disputes over who has a vote. Conflict resulted in the destruction of Abyei Town in 2007 and again in 2012. In 2013 the Dinka Ngok Paramount Chief was shot and killed, allegedly by members of the Misseriya tribe. Since then relations between the Dinka Ngok and the Misseriya have completely broken down. The situation is not helped by the fact that the AAA has oil reserves, although it is not clear whether these will last beyond the end of the decade.

The root of the Abyei conflict goes back to 1905, shortly after the start of colonial rule. The chieftains of the 9 Dinka Ngok clans resident in the region decided then to be governed as part of the north of Sudan rather than as part of the southern Sudan administrative area. During the civil wars in Sudan the majority of Dinka Ngok sided with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement against the Government in Khartoum and their aspiration came to be part of an independent South Sudan. However, much (though not all) of the land they occupy lies north of the ‘1/1/56 line’. The ‘1/1/56 line’ is the boundary that marked the closed administrative area of southern Sudan at the time when colonial rule ceased and was agreed in the CPA as the boundary line between Sudan and South Sudan.

In order to resolve this problem, a Protocol was attached to the CPA, which provided among other things for (i) delineation of the boundary of what is now know as the AAA and (ii) a referendum among the ‘residents’ of the AAA about whether the AAA will be part of Sudan or South Sudan. After a reference to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, the boundaries of the AAA have been settled. However, the parties have not been able to agree whether Misseriya pastoralists who spend a considerable part of the year in Abyei are ‘residents’ or not. Consequently an official referendum has not taken place. An unofficial referendum was organised by the Dinka Ngok in October 2013, when an overwhelming majority voted to be part of South Sudan. This unofficial referendum has not been recognised by the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan or by the international community.

In 2012 a United Nations Force (known as UNISFA) was deployed in Abyei to maintain peace and security. UNISFA has generally speaking been effective at keeping the Dinka Ngok and Misseriya apart. However, it is has been unable to make progress on reconciling the interests of the communities or facilitating pastoralist migration through Dinka Ngok settled areas. Consequently trade and other economic activity between the communities is severely limited.

The killing of the Dinka Ngok Paramount Chief in July 2013 soured relations between the Dinka Ngok and Misseriya further and in particular hardened the stance of Dinka Ngok leaders. The results of an investigation into this incident have not been published. Dinka Ngok leaders subsequently said they will only talk to the Misseriya about the future of Abyei on condition that the Misseriya accept that the AAA belongs to the Dinka Ngok, the Government of Sudan publishes the report into the killing of the Dinka Ngok Paramount Chief and compensation is paid for his death.

Concordis focuses on building bridges between Abyei’s communities. A key aspect of our approach so far has been the appointment of Misseriya and Dinka community liaison officers, to start the long process of building trust and opening a channels for communication.

In February 2016, Concordis co-facilitated a joint meeting between the Dinka Ngok and Misseriya groups, having prepared the ground with 10 ‘mini dialogues’ with key leaders from the communities. The joint meeting of over 700 delegates agreed to form a 20-member Joint Community Peace Committee (JCPC).

Over the next three to four years, the JCPC met regularly at the Amiet Market, mediating intercommunity conflict as it arose, addressing its root causes and negotiating peace agreements between the communities.

On returning to Abyei (with new funding) in November 2019, after an 18 month absence, Concordis found the JCPC had become less united; the pressure of intercommunity conflict and the withdrawal of Concordis' support had become too much. They were then faced with a massacre in the nearby village of Kolom in January 2020, and the JCPC was disbanded for failing to prevent the attack.

Despite these setbacks, there remains strong local desire for a functioning peace committee. In a high-level meeting of Abyei's traditional leaders, convened jointly by Concordis and the UN in February 2021, both the Misseriya and Dinka Ngok delegates agreed that the JCPC should be restructured and reformed. This will require considerable shuttle diplomacy between the traditional leaders, the grassroots communities and the government administrations from North and South. Our goal is both to enable the JCPC to unite and reform, and to ensure it becomes a more inclusive and representative institution, which takes into account the needs and aspirations of the whole Abyei community.

Many NGOs find that the politics of Abyei are so complex that they lose the trust of those involved from North or South. Having worked there since 2009, we have maintained the acceptance of both and have their earned trust and ongoing invitation.

Thanks to our long-term commitment in Abyei, we continue to be warmly welcomed by all local parties.

This year, we trained 57 people to prevent conflict and build peace through local justice mechanisms.

We consulted with 295 people on issues relating to peace and security challenges.

Significantly, there was no rise in the number of violent incidents linked with seasonal migration.

Our recent achievements:

Three meetings of the Traditional Leaders

Resolving disputes in Abyei

Fire and resilience at Amiet Market

Community Consultation for women and youth groups