Abyei conflict (2022–2023)

Last updated
Abyei conflict
Map of Abyei Area en.png
Map of Abyei
DateFebruary 10, 2022 – April 6, 2023
Location
Twic, South Sudan and Abyei
Result

Ceasefire

  • Twic Dinka and Ngok Dinka sign a ceasefire
  • Intermittent attacks between Misseriya Arabs and Ngok Dinka
Belligerents

Misseriya

Twic Dinka

Bul Nuer 		Ngok Dinka

Flag of the United Nations.svg UNISFA

Flag of South Sudan.svg South Sudan
Commanders and leaders
Stephen Buay Rolnyang Belbel Kuol Deng

Flag of the United Nations.svg Benjamin Sawyerr [1]

Flag of South Sudan.svg Kuol Deim Kuol
Flag of South Sudan.svg Chol Deng Alaak
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown 81+ killed, dozens injured
50,000 refugees

Between February 2022 and April 2023, clashes broke out in the disputed Abyei area in South Sudan between Twic Dinka and Misseriya militias against Ngok Dinka militias. The conflict ended following a ceasefire between the Twic Dinka and Ngok Dinka, but sporadic attacks by Misseriya Arabs continue.

Contents

Prelude

The Abyei area is inhabited by the Ngok Dinka, a sub-group of the Dinka people who live in South Sudan. [2] In the early 1900s, Misseriya Arabs moved to the area following the British conquest. [3] Following the independence of South Sudan from Sudan in 2011, Abyei was left as a disputed area as no side wanted to give up the rich oilfields in the region. [4] A short war broke out in 2012 over the area, but was resolved by the creation of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA). As of 2023, South Sudan holds de facto control over the area. [4]

Most inter-communal violence is driven by Misseriya Arabs and Twic Dinka against the Ngok Dinka. Due to land disputes between the nomadic Misseriya and farming Ngok combined with climate change exacerbating dry seasons, Misseriya Arabs have encroached on Ngok Dinka land in the past few years. [5] The Misseriya are also the only group that boycotted the 2013 referendum proposing Abyei fall under South Sudanese control, instead favoring Sudanese rule. [6]

Conflict

Misseriya attacks

The first attack happened on February 10, 2022, after Twic Dinka militants attacked a group of Abyei administrators surveying land on the Abyei-Twic State border. [7] The surveyors were at the Aneet market whenever the Twic militants sent by Twic tax collectors attacked the surveyors. Four people had been killed by the time UNISFA was sent to relieve tensions. [7] Twelve others were wounded in the attack. [7] The death toll later increased to 27 dead and 26 injured, according to Abyei Security Advisor Kiluk Kon. [8]

A second attack occurred on March 4, although little is known about it. A larger attack occurred the next day in the villages of Mading-Thon and Kuol-Bol in western Abyei. In the attacks, twenty-seven people were killed and four were injured, predominantly the elderly. [9] The Misseriya later claimed responsibility for the attack. [10] By March 6, over 50,000 refugees had fled to Abyei town. [10]

Between March and April, attacks occurred in Nong, Lu, and Kolom. The Nong attack killed seven people, the Lu attack killed five and one was injured, and in Kon, four people were killed. Around 2,000 heads of cattle were stolen in Lu as well. [8] Kon also stated that in the attacks, the perpetrators wore the uniform of the Sudanese Armed Forces. [8]

In May 2022, the SSPDF intervened in the area. South Sudanese President Salva Kiir also announced the creation of a panel to assess and relieve the violence. [11] Peace talks also began in Entebbe, Uganda in May between Ngok Dinka and Misseriya tribal leaders, sponsored by the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, a South Sudanese aid organization. [12]

On May 22, 2023, an attack by Misseriya militants killed five people and injured six others in the Hafir El Sillik area of Abyei. [13]

Twic Dinka-Ngok Dinka conflict

Starting in June 2022, and intensifying in September and October 2022, Ngok Dinka and Twic Dinka clashed at the borders of Abyei and Twic states. [14] The SSPDF intervened a second time, and a CEPO-mediated peace negotiation saw a peace treaty between Twic and Ngok Dinka. [15] However, fighting re-erupted in December 2022 at the village of Wou Chien on the Abyei-Twic border. [16] [17]

In January 2023, an attack by around 200 Twic Dinka and Bul Nuer led by former SPLM commander Stephen Buay Rolnyang attacked the Abyei village of Rumamier, killing thirteen civilians and aid workers, and injuring four others. [18] UNISFA troops intervened, but the village was burnt down. [18] A week later, three people were killed and two injured by Ngok Dinka militants in Twic State. [4] On January 27, battles between the Bul Nuer and Ngok Dinka saw several dozen civilians killed and hundreds of cattle stolen in the Abyei villages of Tong Liet, Makoac-Madou, and Makeibum. [4] Due to the violence, Abyei chief administrator Kuol Deim Kuol resigned after protests. Kuol, however, alleged that officials from Warrap and Abyei were behind the violence. [19] The new administrator, Chol Deng Alaak, vowed to establish peace. [20]

On February 28, UNISFA denounced the movement of South Sudanese armed forces to Abyei. [21] A second peace treaty between the Twic Dinka and Ngok Dinka was signed in Wau on April 6. [22] However, the Ngok Dinka sultan, Belbek Kuol Deng, stated that attacks by Misseriya Arabs still continued against Ngok Dinka communities. [23] At the outbreak of the War in Sudan on April 15, tensions rose between the Twic, Misseriya, and Ngok Dinka, but no attacks were reported. [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warrap (state)</span> State of South Sudan

Warrap is one of the ten states in South Sudan, located in the Bahr el Ghazal region. The state became part of South Sudan after a successful secession from Sudan on 9 July 2011. Wanhalel, the place where first Jieng Customary Laws were initiated and hometown to prominent politician, Gen. Nhial Deng Nhial is located in Tonj South County of Warrap State The current governor is Gen. Kuol Muor Muor who replaced Manhiem Bol Malek in November, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dinka people</span> Nilotic ethnic group native to South Sudan

The Dinka tribe are a Nilotic ethnic group native to South Sudan with a sizeable diaspora population abroad. The Dinka mostly live along the Nile, from Bor to Renk, in the region of Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile, and the Abyei Area of the Ngok Dinka in South Sudan.

The Ruweng are part of South Sudan's larger Ngok fraternity found in both South Sudan and northern Sudan. The Ngoks consists of Jok, Ruweng and Lual Yak. Ngok is one branch of the ten Dinka groups. The Dinka is the largest Nilotic group in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abyei</span> Condominium of South Sudan and Sudan

The Abyei Area is an area of 10,546 km2 or 4,072 sq mi on the border between South Sudan and Sudan that has been accorded "special administrative status" by the 2004 Protocol on the Resolution of the Abyei Conflict in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the Second Sudanese Civil War. The capital of the Abyei Area is Abyei Town. Under the terms of the Abyei Protocol, the Abyei Area is considered, on an interim basis, to be simultaneously part of both the Republic of South Sudan and Republic of Sudan, effectively a condominium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sudanese nomadic conflicts</span> Non-state conflicts between rival nomadic tribes

Sudanese nomadic conflicts are non-state conflicts between rival nomadic tribes taking place in the territory of Sudan and, since 2011, South Sudan. Conflict between nomadic tribes in Sudan is common, with fights breaking out over scarce resources, including grazing land, cattle and drinking water. Some of the tribes involved in these clashes have been the Messiria, Maalia, Rizeigat and Bani Hussein Arabic tribes inhabiting Darfur and West Kordofan, and the Dinka, Nuer and Murle African ethnic groups inhabiting South Sudan. Conflicts have been fueled by other major wars taking place in the same regions, in particular the Second Sudanese Civil War, the War in Darfur and the Sudanese conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

The Abyei status referendum is a delayed referendum that was originally due to be held in 2011 in which the residents of Abyei can decide either to remain part of the Sudanese South Kordofan region or to become part of the Bahr el Ghazal region of South Sudan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sudanese conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile</span> 2011–2020 insurgency in southern Sudan

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abyei District</span>

Abyei District was a former district of the Sudan, considered part of the state of West Kurdufan. Upon the dissolution of West Kurdufan in 2005, it was included in the state of South Kurdufan. Its administrative centre was the town of Abyei.

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Ethnic violence in South Sudan has a long history among South Sudan's varied ethnic groups. South Sudan has 64 tribes with the largest being the Dinka, who constitute about 35% of the population and predominate in government. The second largest are the Nuers. Conflict is often aggravated among nomadic groups over the issue of cattle and grazing land and is part of the wider Sudanese nomadic conflicts.

The Abyei Liberation Front was a guerrilla organization in Sudan, active in the Abyei region of South Kordofan in the early 1980s. The group had emerged amongst the Ngok Dinka, in response to attacks on their community by Misseriya Arabs supported by police and army forces. The ALF was one of the armed groups active during this period that were linked to the 'Anyanya II' movement of Southern army mutineers. The commanders of ALF were Deng Alor Kuol and Chol Deng Alaak. Around 1984 the ALF was contacted by Sudan People's Liberation Army detachments from Ethiopia and incorporated into the SPLA.

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Bona Malwal is a South Sudanese journalist, politician, and government official known for his advocacy for self-determination and secession for South Sudan. Malwal's early life began in Twic Mayardit County, Bahr El Ghazal, and he belongs to the Dinka ethnic group. He obtained a diploma in journalism from Indiana University in 1963, followed by a bachelor's degree in economics and a Master of Arts in journalism and communications from Columbia University in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 South Sudan clashes</span>

Fighting was first reported to have taken place in the disputed Abyei region between members of rival factions of the Dinka ethnic group on November 19, 2023, then on November 28 Fighting was reported between the South Sudan People's Defence Forces and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition in Leer County, the Unity State.

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ “Resolving the Boundary Dispute in Sudan’s Abyei Region” Archived 15 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine by Dorina Bekoe, Kelly Campbell and Nicholas Howenstein, United States Institute of Peace, October 2005
  3. ↑ "Collapse of a Country: A Diplomat's Memoir of South Sudan." By Nicholas Coghlan. McGill-Queen's University Press, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 ACLED, Communications (2023-03-17). "Sudan Situation Update: March 2023 | Deadly Violence in the Disputed Abyei Area". ACLED. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  5. ↑ Network, Ayin (2022-03-10). "Between a rock and a hard place: escalating violence in Abyei". Ayin network - شبكة عاين. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  6. ↑ "Abyei opts to join South Sudan in unofficial referendum". BBC News. 2013-10-31. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  7. 1 2 3 "Armed youth from Twic attack Abyei's Aneet". Sudans Post. 2022-02-12. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  8. 1 2 3 Dabanga (2022-04-15). "Disputed Sudan-South Sudan border sees at least 43 dead, 27 injured in renewed attacks". Dabanga Radio TV Online. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  9. ↑ "27 killed in fresh attack on Sudan-South Sudan border". The East African. 2022-03-08. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  10. 1 2 "Abyei Clashes Flash Update No. 2 - As of 09 March 2022 - South Sudan | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2022-03-09. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  11. ↑ "South Sudan Troops Deployed to Abyei Area". VOA. 2022-10-17. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  12. ↑ umajulius (2022-05-02). "Activist urges Ngok Dinka, Misseriya to prioritise peace in Abyei". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  13. ↑ Bergman, Andrew (2023-05-22). "Sudan-South Sudan border: Five dead in attack on nomads in Abyei". Dabanga Radio TV Online. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  14. ↑ "South Sudan Troops Deployed to Abyei Area". VOA. 2022-10-17. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  15. ↑ "Ngok Dinka-Twic peace dialogue underway in Wau". Radio Tamazuj. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  16. ↑ "Ngok Dinka-Twic peace dialogue underway in Wau". Radio Tamazuj. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  17. ↑ Chang, Koang (2022-12-23). "Calm returns to disputed area after Twic, Ngok clash". Eye Radio. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  18. 1 2 "UNISFA Condemns the Twic attack on Rumamier Village, Abyei Administrative Area". UNISFA. 2023-01-05. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  19. ↑ Danis, Daniel (2022-11-30). "Kuol Deim reveals names of five politicians 'instigating' Twic-Abyei conflicts". The Radio Community. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  20. ↑ umajulius (2023-01-20). "New Abyei Chief Administrator pledges to prioritise peace". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  21. ↑ "UNISFA Condemns the reported presence of South Sudanese uniformed personnel inside the Abyei Area - Sudan | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2023-03-01. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  22. ↑ "UNISFA welcomes outcome of the Ngok and Twic Peace Conference in Wau - South Sudan | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2023-04-20. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  23. ↑ Camille (2023-04-14). "Abyei's Ngok Dinka want security above anything else as Sudan and South Sudan negotiate". Dabanga Radio TV Online. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  24. ↑ "'Forgotten' Abyei on edge as fighting rages in Sudan". The East African. 2023-05-15. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
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