Abyei – The communities of Misseriya and Ngok Dinka have signed an agreement to re-affirm their commitment to peaceful co-existence during a peace conference supported by peace partners - International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and Concordis International. This came after reviewing agreement between the two communities that was signed in 2016 to seize hostilities and strengthen peaceful co-existence as the most viable option to social cohesion.

In a communiqué read out and signed during the conference, the two communities re-affirmed their commitment to seize hostilities and strengthen peaceful co-existence as the most viable option to social cohesion.

The Misseriya community was represented by Nazir Ismael Hamdeen, while the Dinka Ngok by Sultan Belbel, who were the principal signatories of the agreement, witnessed by women and youth representatives, peace partner organisations and the Deputy Head of Mission/ Force Commander of UNISFA.

“We, the representatives of Dinka Ngok and Misseriya, through reviewing and reviving of 2016 Agreements in Abyei, resolved the following articles”, read the preamble to their resolutions.

The communiqué read out and adopted had nine resolutions viz:

• Cessation of hostilities and continuance of dialogues for peace and peaceful coexistence
• Free movement and transportation within Abyei border without any form or restriction
• Recommend UNISFA Forces and the two Countries for withdrawal of armed groups and militias within Abyei Box
• Reactivating of the communal peace committees
• Continue dialogues for the traditional authorities, communal peace committee every three months.
• Resumption of weekly meetings for the communal peace committees
• Call peace partners to provide the two communities with humanitarian assistance, providing workshops on peace culture, through local radios and public rallies.
• Organize transhumance for pastoralists on yearly basis.
• Recommend UNISFA to intensify patrolling along the roads and villages within Abyei Box.

Participants were mainly drawn from communities that live along and frequent the three main cattle corridors - western, central, and eastern.

The Peace partners committed to continue working with the two communities through social services and support to ongoing dialogues, meetings, trainings and workshops, as ongoing processes towards ensuring peaceful co-existence in the area. UNISFA in its mandate pledged to continue monitoring peace and engage the two Governments of Sudan and South Sudan for peace.

Further dialogues shall be carried out for the two communities to continue to thresh out pending issues and ensure necessary consultation with the respective stakeholders on political and administrative issues.

This initiative is supported by The Korean International Cooperation Agency

For more information, kindly contact Nabie Loyce in IOM South Sudan, Tel: 0912380115, email: nloyce@iom.int