Abyei Parliament Endorses Demand of Ngok Dinka to Join South Sudan 

The parliament of Abyei Special Administrative Area has unanimously endorsed a 2013 unilateral referendum of the Ngok Dinka in their quest to be recognised as being a region of South Sudan.
Photo caption: Abyei LeLegislature Speaker Yak Deng Ater (M)speaking  in the Parliament yesterday 


By Okech Francis

The parliament of Abyei Special Administrative Area has unanimously endorsed a 2013 unilateral referendum of the Ngok Dinka in their quest to be recognised as being a region of South Sudan. 

The parliament, in a sitting in Abyei town yesterday said the move paves the way for ensuring peace and security while fostering the identity, unity and development for the Ngok Dinka and within the region.

The motion of the endorsement was tabled before parliament by Abionweng Majeth, the Minister of Local Government.

“The Ngok Dinka community after being denied of conducting their referendum simultaneously with the South Sudan referendum on the 9th of January 2011, they then conducted it on 31st October 2013 in which they overwhelmingly voted for joining South Sudan by 99.98 percent,” Majeth told parliament.

“On 15th November 2024, the governor’s Forum in Juba unanimously passed a resolution that Abyei Legislative council should endorse the outcome result of the Ngok Dinka community referendum and forward it to the national government of South Sudan,” she said.

“The purpose of this resolution is to endorse the outcome of the Ngok Dinka referendum as a choice which is unanimously voted by the people of the Ngok Dinka community to join South Sudan.”

In effect the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005 which led to the independence of South Sudan in 2011 gave Abyei a separate referendum on whether to be part of Sudan or South Sudan.

South Sudan and Sudan were mandated to organise the exercise but couldn’t agree and the Ngok Dinka took it upon themselves, organised the vote, with 99.9% of voters wanting to join South Sudan.

“Abyei protocol was of the CPA of 2005 and it is part of our rights that Abyei should exercise its right for self determination,” parliament speaker Yak Deng Ater told the house in a sitting yesterday.

“We took it upon ourselves after the two countries which should have organised it did not agree,” Ater said. 

Members of Parliament, one after another spoke in support Abyei becoming part of South Sudan.

” It is the will of the people and we have no option but to endorse it,” MP Chol Pur told the house.

Abyei leaders will deliver the parliament resolutions to Juba for final acceptance.

“The people of South Sudan are standing with us 100 percent and these are the people we are going to live with so we will be part of South Sudan,” another MP, Arop Deng Kuol said. “As representatives of the people, surely we will endorse this one,” he said. 

“We support the resolution for Abyei so that Abyei may come back to its motherland, South Sudan,” Member of Parliament, Nyanjang Minyiel Rou also said during the parliament sitting.

“We are here today to restore the prestige of the people of Abyei and restore their glory,” he said

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