Machar calls on S. Sudan parliament to recognise the Abyei referendum

November 14, 2013 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s deputy chairman of the ruling party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), Riek Machar Teny, has called on the lawmakers to recognise the outcome of the recent unilateral Abyei referendum, saying that was the final decision of the nine Ngok Dinka chiefdoms and should be respected.

The Dinka Ngok of Abyei, situated in the disputed area in South Kordofan, held a unilateral and unofficial referendum in the last week of October and declared their vote on 31 October to rejoin South Sudan after 108 years in north Sudan where they were transferred to by the British colonial administration in 1905.

The recent decision to conduct the unilateral referendum came after Sudan and South Sudan failed to agree on the eligible voters in the referendum as Khartoum insisted that the Misseriya tribe of north Sudan, considered by South Sudan to have been mere seasonal migrants to the Abyei area, should also take part in the plebiscite.

The leaderships of the two governments of South Sudan and Sudan distanced themselves from the unilateral process, warning not to recognize it.

However Machar, also a member of the national legislative assembly and a former vice-president who has been vocal in supporting the conduct of the unilateral vote, said the parliament should now make its position clear following the declaration of the vote by over 99% opting to join South Sudan.

His press secretary James Gatdet Dak said the former vice-president also applauded the position taken on Wednesday by the South Sudan’s political parties including the SPLM to recognize the outcome of the unilateral Abyei referendum.

Major political parties including the SPLM, NUDF, UDF, DUP, NJMP, USAP, CPSS, UDSF, USSF and NDF issued a joint statement expressing their full support to the outcome of the referendum and urged South Sudan’s government under president Salva Kiir Mayardit, to equally recognize the vote.

They also urged the Sudanese government, the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) to recognize the vote.

The former vice president further explained that the reluctant position of the executive leadership was not automatically the position of the legislative organ of the government.

“Parliament should now make a position to recognize the outcome of the Abyei referendum. The position of the executive is not necessarily the position of the parliament,” he said, adding that it was important to encourage the executive through a decision by the parliament.

(ST)