"A Bird in the hand is worth two in the bush," says Abyei Administrator

By Ngor Arol Garang
July 25, 2009 (ABYEI) — “A Bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,” said The Chief Administrator of Abyei Area during a briefing to local chiefs at his residence on the award of Abyei Arbitration Tribunal, on Saturday.
“What I have been looking for all these years is the complete settlement of Abyei dispute so the area can pursue developmental plans,” said Arop Mayak.
Mayak further called on all Abyei citizens from both Dinka Ngok and Messeriya to appreciate whatever little that has been given to each side by international court and stop knocking at conflicting doors which are destructing.
The Arbitration Tribunal last Wednesday awarded North Sudan the eastern area of Abyei where are Heglig and Bamboo oilfields to the north Sudan and defined the water and pastures area as the territory of nine Dinka Ngok chiefdom in 1905.
The Messeriya protested saying they need water and pastures for their cattle while the Dinka Ngok said that oil fields area is part of their land.
Asked when the ruling will be implemented, he said “an international technical committee will soon be in Abyei to begin the demarcation of the area according to the map defined by the Permanent Court of Arbitration.”
The decision of the arbitration also raised question over who will take part in the 2011 referendum on whither Aybei people want to be part of northern and southern Sudan.
On the issue of referendum, the chief administrator said, citizens of Abyei will simultaneously vote for their referendum the same day southern Sudanese would be voting on self determination.
“The residents of Abyei will cast a separate ballot from that of southern Sudan at referendum,” he said.
However, Arop Mayak declined to comment on whether non-Abyei residents would be allowed to vote at referendum.
Last Thursday Sudanese President Omer Al-Bashir told the leaders of Messeriya in Abyei that they would have the right to vote in the referendum even where the land was awarded to Dinka Ngok.
But southern Sudan government minister for presidential affairs and SPLM co agent, Luka Biong dismissed Bashir’s statement saying they the Abyei Arbitration tribunal confirmed the tribal understanding to delimit the nine chiefdom of Dinka Ngok and thus the other tribes could not take part in the referendum.
(ST)