Abyei and Bona Malwal: Are South Sudanese Sacrificing the Abyei Dinka to Khartoum?
By Dut Agostino Agei, Nairobi, Kenya
December 10, 2017 (SSB) — South Sudan that won independence from Sudan in 2011 was a news to everybody. This was because of the liberation struggle that took us more than several decades in the war. We are to remind ourselves that the independent South Sudan was also another independence of the SPLM/SPLA administrates areas. This was because of the strategy of the comprehensive peace agreements that gave South Sudanese their rights to be independent Country first and then liberated the administrates areas using public policies.
I was personally convinced by this protocol since the same CPA that signed South Sudan peace agreement was the same CPA that was going to negotiated the SPLM/SPLA administrates areas. This was promising in the sense of togetherness and also in the sense of cohesiveness of Southern Sudanese who were united during liberation time in the Sudan.
After the comprehensive peace agreements that addressed what the war was all about in Southern Sudan then the current situations in the Country never look likes the Country would in the future stand a chances to liberated the other SPLM/SPLA administrates areas that were together with South Sudanese during the liberation struggle and who were also in the comprehensive peace agreement with South Sudan after the independent South Sudan peace agreements. This was also seen in different bilateral relations between Sudan and South Sudan peace agreements.
In the observations of last month heads of states meetings in Khartoum the two Presidents never brings into discussions the issues of the SPLM/SPLA administrate areas. Most of the agreements were about the interests of two countries in trades agreements and eventually the issues that affect two countries in the borders. Also in the same observations, the Sudanese Presidency since South Sudan secede to be a different Country Sudan never called Sudanese as northerners. Sudan used to be called Sudan and that has to do with issues of unclear borders relations that involves South Sudanese administrates areas.
This means that whoever used to be called Sudanese with South Sudan as a directional country would stand positions of being a Sudanese with times. All these indications should matter to South Sudanese that the referendums laws granted selves determinations during the Sudan comprehensive peace agreements. Should South Sudan never play some significant roles than in selves’ determinations of the SPLM/SPLA administrate areas then the situations of South Sudan would never be different from the referendums policies that are witnessed in African nations and the world where different countries secede to be different from another Country. In the case of Africa, the Kingdoms of Morocco was in a similar process just like the Sudan.
This was because the administrative regions of Western Sahara that was a Spanish colonial buffer zones in 1975 colonial rules. When the Spain colonial policy ceases in the regions the western Sahara fall under the joint administration of Mauritania and Kingdoms of Morocco were King Hassan later apply the policy of dividing opinions and discredited the Polisario selves determinations using same western Saharawi citizens. Similar situations might be what Sudan may go through the base on the principle of diplomacy that the bigger the country the better the foreign policy.
Similarly, the Sudan in the future will take the advantages of South Sudanese situations of internal issues and therefore violates the referendum policies as in the case of the Kingdoms of Morocco.
As South Sudanese shared several interests with Sudanese the international laws of granting the SPLM/SPLA administrates areas rights to be federated should not be apprehended. South Sudanese who are in the Sudan autonomy areas should be given the atmosphere of deciding their selves determinations without states interferences. This should also not affect the diplomatic ties and relations between two different Sudan in terms of states interests and cooperation over the administrates areas. South Sudan administrates areas referendums was in the Sudanese comprehensive peace agreements. This was a public policy and laws like any other country laws and policies to be carried out under the state laws of South Sudan.
Also, may South Sudan states analysis never apprehended the situational decision of selves determinations of the SPLM/SPLA administrates areas that might somehow never see the future of being independent in the current situation in South Sudan. This should also be concluded that South Sudanese who are in the administrates areas should also play their roles in an attempt to be supported in selves’ determinations.
When you study different selves determinations around the world you find that the exits of the United Kingdom from the greater European Union carry the efforts of Londoners before several others things to follow. May South Sudanese get to realized what made them secede to be independent South Sudan from the whole Sudan.
Dut Agostino Agei study double majors in Foreign Policy, Peace and conflicts studies at American University, Nairobi Kenya. He can be contacted at dutagostino@yahoo.com.
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