Sudan: Abyei Vote Challenges AU

On 27 October 2013, the Ngok Dinka community in the disputed Abyei region of Sudan held a unilateral vote to determine whether Abyei would remain part of Sudan or join South Sudan. The African Union (AU) strongly condemned the referendum as 'unacceptable and irresponsible'.

The AU maintained that the referendum violated AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) decisions and could further complicate the search for a common solution based on the framework of existing commitments, given that the issue of voter eligibility had not yet been resolved. Just before the vote, United Nations Security Council (UNSC) members had expressed 'grave concern' about the extremely unstable situation in Abyei, saying the referendum could fuel tensions between Sudan and South Sudan and hamper a solution to the border disputes in the area.

The Misseriya, a largely nomadic tribe in western Sudan who use Abyei seasonally for grazing, have in turn threatened to hold their own referendum. What does this mean for the AU's ability to mediate in the region?

With South Sudan's independence from the north in 2011 came questions over the status of Abyei, as it is located on the border between Sudan and South Sudan. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed between Sudan's ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in 2005, made provision for Abyei's status to be established. Two simultaneous self-determination referendums would be held in South Sudan and Abyei in 2011. The preceding 'Protocol on the resolution of Abyei conflict', signed on 26 May 2004, had also made similar provisions.

However, the Abyei vote planned for January 2011 failed to materialise following a lack of consensus between Khartoum and Juba on who qualified to vote.

In April 2012, the PSC adopted a road map aimed at resolving differences between Sudan and South Sudan, including the 'final status' of Abyei. According to the road map, if the negotiating actors still failed to reach consensus, the AU High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) would formulate a proposal that would then be authorised by the PSC as an ultimate and compulsory resolution. The AUHIP proposal on the Final Status of the Abyei Area (published on 21 September 2012) made provision for a referendum in October 2013, but once again it proved impossible to get the buy-in of both governments.