South Sudan News Agency

May 11, 2012 (SSNA) -- Thousands of people have fled Sudans South Kordofan and Blue Nile states into neighbouring countries in the last month, putting pressure on existing supplies and services.

In western Ethiopias Assosa region, nearly 2,000 Sudanese refugees have arrived from Blue Nile so far in May. The refugees cite night-time killings, abductions and the burning of their crops as reasons for fleeing. Many are arriving in Ethiopia with heavy luggage and livestock. They tell our staff that more people are on their way to an area already hosting nearly 35,000 mainly Sudanese refugees. UNHCR is making preparations for the possibility of a further influx.

In South Sudans Unity state, Yida settlement has received more than 3,200 arrivals from the Nuba Mountains so far this month. That’s an average of 550 refugees per day - nearly double the rate in April and six times that in March. The border settlements population now stands at nearly 30,000 refugees.

UNHCR has doubled its presence in Yida and accelerated the registration of new arrivals. We continue to see increasing numbers of refugees arriving in a malnourished state due to food shortages in parts of South Kordofan. All new arrivals are immediately registered and provided with food assistance including high-energy biscuits where needed. Partner agencies such as MSF-France and Samaritans Purse are treating malnourished children urgently and implementing therapeutic and supplemental feeding programs. The World Food Programme has sufficient full-rations of food for the entire camp population in Yida, including the new arrivals. It is also pre-positioning food stocks for the coming rainy season when road access to Yida will be cut off by flooding.

As the rainy season approaches, our staffs have been distributing additional relief supplies such as plastic sheets and mosquito nets in the camp. New arrivals and vulnerable refugees such as unaccompanied children, the elderly and disabled continue to benefit from targeted distributions.

Although recent hostilities between South Sudan and Sudan did not directly affect refugee-hosting areas in Unity state, UNHCR remains deeply concerned for the refugees security due to the proximity of Yida to the disputed border area of Jaw.. Preserving the civilian character of refugee locations remains a core priority in all refugee-hosting areas. We therefore continue to advocate for the refugees in Yida to move to other settlements at a safer distance from the border.

Meanwhile refugees from Sudans Blue Nile state continue to cross the border into Upper Nile state, and are being relocated to safer areas further inland.  This week UNHCR completed individual registration and verification of refugees in Doro and Jammam settlements. The presence of 70,000 refugees was confirmed.

In Jammam, aid agencies are stepping up efforts to increase the water supply and reduce the risk of water-borne diseases such as cholera. Our partners have been trucking and piping water to refugee locations and treating surface water where available.

To reduce demands on limited water sources, UNHCR this week started relocating the first of 15,000 refugees from Jammam to Doro I and II camps. We will also continue drilling efforts with partners to provide water in Jammam for the remaining refugees as well as local communities.

Efforts are underway to transport a much larger drilling rig than those already in place, to explore deeper water sources. Transporting such heavy duty equipment to this remote part of the country is a major logistical challenge.

In the meantime, medical and other humanitarian actors have drawn up contingency plans to respond to any eventual outbreak of disease. They have pre-positioned medical supplies and established treatment units.

In total, more than 100,000 Sudanese refugees have fled into South Sudan since the middle of last year. UNHCR has so far received 31 per cent of the US$145 million we need to care for the Sudanese refugees in South Sudan and Ethiopia. More contributions are urgently needed as we accelerate preparation for the camps before access is cut off by rains.

END

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Reasons behind the defection of Maj. Gen. James Duit Yiech

May 7, 2012 (SSNA) -- The leadership of South Sudan revolutionary forces would like to clarify to the world the reasons behind the defection of Maj. Gen. James Duit Yiech with one hundred and thirty soldiers to the forces of corruption (SPLA) on May, 05, 2012. The media of corrupt government in Juba fabricated and concocted reasons behind his defection to deceive the people of South Sudan in away to make it appear that a large number of revolutionary forces surrendered to the forces of corruption. In fact, Maj. Gen. James Duit Yiech defected to the forces of corruption with only one hundred and thirty soldiers. What is reported by the forces of corruption that he defected with two hundred and fifteen soldiers is untrue.

Prior to his defection, the leadership of revolutionary forces held an emergency meeting in Maban to discuss the consolidation of military alliance of all rebel Movements and the need to establish a political organ that would serve as basis of National Transitional Council (NTC). The meeting discussed mobilization and strategy of the liberation struggle and concluded the followings points:

1. The success of any armed liberation movement depends on the effectiveness and efficiency of its mobilization strategies to reach out to the target groups for support in terms of human resources to voluntarily join its operations to faster its liberation purposes.

2. The dissolution of the current government of the Republic of South Sudan so as to be replaced by a national broad-base, multiparty system of government, agreed upon by all the political forces, revolutionary forces and civil society organizations.

3. To install and promote the culture of respect for human rights, and democracy, as well as good governance and rule of law for the benefits of all citizens of South Sudan.

4. In order for revolutionary forces to be effective in spearheading a national liberation struggle against the regime in Juba, it was agreed that they needed to extend their operations to Greater Equatoria. Since Greater Equatoria is the heart of SPLM regime and also the seat of National Government, fighting the regime within Greater Equatoria territories will hit the regime in Juba so hard that both the international community and South Sudanese community will feel the presence of revolutionary forces.

5. The restructuring of the military command of revolutionary forces is a prerequisite for the operational successes against the forces of corruption. It was agreed that old commanders must be replaced by young and educated officers in the field. It was also agreed that high school, college and university graduates must replace the less educated in commanding the battalions of revolutionary forces to fight effectively. The idea of replacing old commanders with young ones was precipitated by the notion that no organization—be it political or none-political—could ever be effective in society, and successfully executes its programs, as well as attain its vision, without proper organizational structures.

6. The revolutionary forces need to identify ethnic groups in South Sudan that are marginalized and are subjugated by the SPLM regime in order to be the backbone of the revolutionary forces.

As a result of the points agreed upon by the leadership of the revolutionary forces in the meeting, Lt. Gen. Gordon Koang Chol ordered the replacement of Maj. Gen. James Duit Yiech and Brig. Gen. James Duoth Lam. The former is a sixty eight year-old man and the latter is sixty seven and both are too old to effectively command. As it was agreed that young and educated officers must command the battalions of the revolutionary forces, Lt. Gordon Koang appointed university graduates from North America to replace Maj. Gen. James Duit Yiech and Brig. Gen. James Duoth Lam.

The new policy of replacing old commanders with young and educated officers didn’t sit well with James Duit Yiech and James Duoth Lam. Their defection to forces of corruption on May, 05, 2012 was caused by their rejection of accepting to serve as military advisors instead to command the battalions.

The defection of the two old men will not affect the revolutionary forces and it is a blessing in disguise because the transformation of military structures within revolutionary forces will be realized without them. People may wonder whether Salva Kiir will keep sixty eight and sixty seven year olds in the ranks and file of his forces without violating the law of retirement. It is a normal practice among civilized people all over the world that people approaching seventy can no longer serve in the army. If Salva Kiir would rely on using outdated soldiers like James Duit Yiech and James Duoth Lam, it follows logically that the young and educated officers of the revolutionary forces will defeat the forces of corruption without spending much energy.

The allegations made by the regime in Juba that the revolutionary forces are being supported by the government of Sudan are lies and James Duit Yiech was prepared and advised to make false accusations to suit the propaganda of Juba. We would state, in no uncertain terms, that the forces of SSDF, SSLA, NDF and SSDA do not receive any financial or military support from Sudan government. The main supplier of our forces is the regime of Salva Kiir whose forces defected to the rebel forces with cars and weapons. The cars shown on South Sudan Television are SPLA army cars and do not belong to forces of James Duit Yiech. Maj. Gen. James Duit Yiech and Brig. Gen. James Duoth Lam defected to the forces of corruption without cars. The corrupt regime of Juba gave them SPLA cars to take pictures in order to consolidate its false accusation that the Sudan government supports the revolutionary forces. The truth is that James Duit Yiech defected to the forces of corruption without cars.

In conclusion, we would like to inform the people of South Sudan that James Duith Yiech and James Duoth Lam defected to the forces of corruption because they rejected to be replaced by young and educated officers who would safeguard the democratic revolution. It is the belief of the revolutionary forces that young and educated South Sudanese should be the one commanding the forces because without educated military officers, it would be difficult to preserve democratic government in South Sudan after the total elimination and destruction of Salva Kiir’s regime. To prepare the South for democratic transformation, the leadership of revolutionary forces decided to replace all field commanders of the rebel forces with officers who graduated from universities and Colleges. After the defection of James Duit Yiech, the forces of SSDF in Maban, Longichuk and Maiwut counties are now commanded by university graduates from North America.

Signed,

UNHCR Press Release: Sudanese refugees face increasing challenges in South Sudan camps

Juba, May 2, 2012 (SSNA) -- The UN refugee agency in South Sudan is concerned about increasing numbers of malnourished refugees arriving in Yida. Additionally, water shortages could worsen the plight of refugees in Jammam settlement. Urgent action is being taken to avert humanitarian
crises in both locations.

Yida, a refugee settlement in Unity state on the border with Southern Kordofan, received a daily average of 300 new arrivals in April, almost four times the rate in February and March. This week the population of Yida surpassed the 27,000 mark. New arrivals cite mostly food shortages in the Nuba Mountains as the cause of their flight.

QUOTE With the larger numbers of refugees arriving and increasing cases of malnutrition among them, we have stepped up assistance, UNQUOTE said Mireille Girard, UNHCR Representative in South Sudan.  QUOTE Upon arrival in Yida, refugees are screened and issued with food including high energy biscuits. Agencies are providing urgent medical attention to malnourished children and implementing therapeutic feeding programmes. UNQUOTE

According to Ravindran Velusamy, who heads UNHCR operations in Unity state, the swelling refugee population in Yida has increased pressures on basic services over the past month. QUOTE There are longer queues at water points. We are working with the community to manage timetables for drawing water while specialized agencies install additional water facilities. UNQUOTE

Velusamy noted that as the rainy season approaches, a blanket distribution of relief supplies is being organized. QUOTE Plastic sheeting for shelter and mosquito nets are the priority. We already had targeted distribution of essential items for the most vulnerable refugees, including older persons, the handicapped and unaccompanied minors. UNQUOTE New arrivals are also prioritized for distribution.

The World Food Programme is pre-positioning food stocks, and agencies are discussing arrangements to evacuate refugees who may need medical treatment as roads become impassable. QUOTE Last year, Yida was an island. Surrounding areas were flooded and road access was impossible. We had to fly in humanitarian aid, a costly endeavour with considerably less impact than overland operations, UNQUOTE said Girard.

Although recent hostilities between South Sudan and Sudan did not affect refugee locations in Unity state directly, UNHCR remains deeply concerned that the proximity of Yida to the disputed border area of Jaw is a serious threat to the refugees security. Preserving the civilian character of refugee locations also remains a core concern for humanitarians. We therefore continue to advocate for the refugees to move to other settlements at a safer distance from the border.

In Upper Nile state, humanitarian actors are stepping up measures to remedy water shortages and mitigate the risk of outbreaks of cholera or other water-borne diseases in Jammam refugee settlement.

A combination of factors, particularly population density and the limited water yield, is intensifying health risks. Jammam is home to 37,000 Sudanese refugees. The water supply situation became increasingly problematic as the population multiplied earlier this year. Existing sources could not yield adequate quantities of water to support growing demand. Despite extensive drilling, sufficient viable water sources have not emerged thus far.

Humanitarian partners have been trucking and piping water from elsewhere and treating surface water where available. Medical and other humanitarian actors drew up contingency plans to respond to any eventual outbreak of disease. They pre-positioned medical supplies and established treatment units.

QUOTE We are taking urgent measures to immediately move 15,000 refugees to a different location in order to reduce demands on limited water resources in Jammam, UNQUOTE said Frederic Cussigh, UNHCR head of operations in the area. QUOTE We will also continue drilling efforts, to provide water for the remaining 22,000 refugees as well as local communities. UNQUOTE

Urgent efforts are being made to transport a much larger rig than those already in place, to explore deeper water sources. Transporting such heavy duty equipment to this remote part of the country is a major logistical challenge.

In nearby Doro settlement where another 52,000 Sudanese refugees are residing, drilling efforts have been more successful. Partners have secured 13 litres of water per person per day and aim to reach the internationally recommended standard of 15 to 20 litres per person per day shortly.

Less than a year after gaining independence, South Sudan is one of Africa’s major refugee-hosting countries. In addition to nearly 120,000 Sudanese refugees in Unity and Upper Nile states, there are some 23,000 Congolese and Central African refugees in LRA-affected areas along the southern border, as well as some 4,000 Ethiopian Anyuak refugees in different parts of the country.

- END –

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From: the Ruweng Biemnom Community in Diaspora

April 30, 2012

Subject: A rebuttal to General Kuol Dim’s presentation on (Heglig) Panthou dispute in SSTV, on April 26, 2012

The Ruweng Biemnom Community in Diaspora, refuted General Kuol Dem’s fabricated and deceptive information in SSTV that “Hegilig is a grassing land between Abyei, Panaruu and the Nuer”

May 1, 2012 (SSNA) -- Making a preconception and inequitable presentation publicly while you were in the SPLA uniform is an indication of and signaled a wrong message to the Ruweng people in Biemnom that, Ngok generals and politicians are abusing the SPLA and Government of South Sudan’s Ministerial positions. Abyei has no border with Panrieng. Where did you take Biemnom in the East and North East of Abyei?  General kuol, do not abused the SPLA power if you want to involved in Ngok politicians’ plan who are obsess to annexed Ngol Biemnom to Abyei since Naivasha. SPLA is a back bone of South Sudan and it is a nucleus of which we see the legacy and souls of our fallen heroes.

Were Abyei politicians and generals fighting for purpose of grabbing a land from Biemnom County to your home town Abyei or were you fighting to change the injustice government in Khartoum? SPLA rank should not be politicized and should not be misused to annex the land of other Community who has no high ranking officers in the SPLA. Ruweng Biemnom participated in two Liberations struggles, Anya-Nya one and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/M. Our sons lost their lives in many battle fields in all parts of South Sudan. We hope that SPLA should act differently than our politicians because SPLA is a unified Army whose vision and mission is only to defend South Sudanese citizens and the great oil rich land of the Natives Black Africans revered as a “Garden of Eden”

As a Community, we are obliged to respond to some Dinka Ngok’s internal political ambition to grab Ngol Biemnom areas. To assure South Sudanese and the world, (Heglig) is one of the areas within Tor Aliny between Biemnom and Panrieng. It located East of Biemnom County in Unity State. Tor Aliny included Aliny (Heglig) was not a grassing land, it is a native home of the Ruweng Dinka in Biemnom and Parieng. Distribution of population density in Ngol Biemnom before Arab pushed us back to South of Biemnom in 1970s to 1980s. North West of Ngol was in habited by Manteng, Thiony, Ngongcil; North East of Tor Aliny and Ngol areas was inhabited by Mijuan, Abang and Amaal section in central Ngol in Biemnom. Dinka Ngok have border with Biemnom in the West and North West, and Panrieng County located in North East of Biemnom County. The three sections of Dinka Ruweng bordering with Dinka Ngok in North West are: Thiony, Manteng and Ngongcil, these sections border with Dinka Ngok section called Ashaak.

We sent a message to President Salva Kiir Mayardit and to Vice President, Dr Riek Machar to advise Abyei boys to stick to their border which was demarcated in Hague. It is clear that, Abyei Generals and politicians were fighting the Arab for purposes of marginalizing the Ruweng Dinka in Unity State. Abyei politicians become steering wheels to the Government of South Sudan because the government gave them higher positions and use the government power to grab other Community’s land. Ngok politicians forgot that, those positions are the results of our collective sons and daughters of South Sudan who have sacrificed their lives. General Kuol Dim’s present in SSTV was not worthy to the Ruweng people because, he could have done that excused presentation before the Court of Arbitration.

Finally, we were expecting Dinka Ngok politicians to apologize to Dinka Ruweng in Unity State for false claimed of Ngol Biemnom areas from North West to North East, included some Panrieng areas in East of Biemnom County. The Government of South Sudan should be more vigilant to Abyei’s high ranking politicians who are grabbing the land from other State. The reluctant of South Sudan Government to advise Dinka Ngok politicians who are in power to stop claiming areas in other Counties fueled the current dispute areas. Abyei land grow bigger when there is fighting erupted between South Sudanese and Northerners, because it give them a room from those who claim their right from Abyei to wait until the war over.

Signed by the Chairman and members of the Ruweng Biemnom Community in Diaspora

To:

• H.E Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General, UN
• The Amnesty International
• The Human Right Watch
• H.E Barack Obama, President, United States of America
• H.E David Cameron, Prime minister, United Kingdom
• H.E Nicolas Sarkozy, President, France
• H.E HU Jinto, President, Republic of china
• H.E Stephen Harper, Prime minister, Canada
• H.E Dmitry Medvedev, President, Russia Federation
• H.E. Julia Gillard, Prime minister, Australia
• The African Union
• The European Union

April 30, 2012 (SSNA) -- The South Sudan International Advocacy for Human Rights (SSIAHR) strongly condemned the recent Bombardments of innocent populations in Rubkona, Mayom, Biemnom and Guit counties, Unity State, South Sudan by the Sudan Army Forces. The SSIAHR learned that Sudan Army Forces are still carrying out lethal aerial bombardments targeting civilians after South Sudan Army withdrew from contested oil border town of Heglig (MALOU-RAAR/Panthou).

In the past week, our sources on the ground told SSIAHR that Sudan Army Force has bombed Unity State and killed ten innocence people and wounded twenty-three others. Among the dead were four children of three years old and one Nurse of Ugandan national who was working for UNMIS.

Because such unwelcoming aerial bombardments are continuing targeting civilians, the South Sudan International Advocacy for Human Rights joined the International Community who called for cessation of hostilities by both parties. Also, we are asking the world leaders and the International Human Rights Organizations to follow their strong condemnations and calls for cessation of hostilities with actions if one party in the conflict failed to do so.

For example, the Sudanese Government under President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir is known for endless gross Human Rights violations and therefore it is time to hold him and his government accountable if he failed to stop aerial bombardments of civil populations.

Sincerely yours,

NEW HANDBOOK ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FOR LAND DEALS IN SOUTH SUDAN

A ‘good practice’ guide to negotiating lease agreements with landowning communities in South Sudan

Juba, April 28, 2012 (SSNA) -- A new Handbook on Community Engagement, published by the South Sudan Law Society (SSLS), for the first time provides communities, companies, and government institutions involved with land deals in South Sudan with practical, step-by-step instructions on how to invest responsibly in the world’s newest nation.

Since the signing of the peace deal in 2005, land-based investments have surged in South Sudan. Commercial farms, timber plantations, biofuel project, carbon credit schemes, and wildlife parks are being constructed across the ten states. Major expansions are also expected in the oil, gas, and mining sectors.

In theory, this influx of capital could provide important benefits for vulnerable populations South Sudan, but in practice, land-based investments show serious shortcomings in terms of a lack of community participation and one-sided deals that strongly favor the investor.

“South Sudan has its share of cowboy investors,” said David K. Deng, research director for the SSLS. “But sometimes lop-sided deals are a result of uninformed companies and disorganized communities, not greedy land grabbers.”

The handbook provides step-by-step instructions for a variety of community engagement processes, ranging from community consultations and participatory impact assessments to grievance mechanisms and community financial management. A companion document, Community Engagement Fundamentals, provides a summary of the main points and is translated into English / Arabic to maximize its reach.

A theme running throughout the two documents is that land is communally owned in South Sudan and investors are legally obligated to negotiate directly with communities when seeking to access community lands.

“The South Sudan Law Society’s Handbook on Community Engagement is most timely and unique,” said Dr. Jok Madut Jok, Professor of African Studies at Loyola Marymount University in the United States. “Its importance at this stage in the history of the new Republic of South Sudan cannot be overstated.”

Notes to editors:

The South Sudan Law Society (SSLS) is a civil society organization based in Juba, South Sudan. Its mission is to strive for justice in society and respect for human rights and rule of law in South Sudan.

April 27, 2012 (SSNA) -- South Sudan Human Rights Society for Advocacy (SSHURSA) welcomes the guilty verdict on the former Liberian President Charles Taylor by the Court in The Hague. Charles Taylor has been found guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity which include murder, rapes, sexual violence, terrorism among others committed in Sierra Leone in the late 1990’s.  This is an important verdict as its sends a strongest message to all bloody and dictatorial leaders in the world with Africa leading in numbers. SSHURSA welcomes the verdict because it sends a strong message to those who commit war crimes and crimes against humanity in the name of maintaining a hold on power. It shows that no matter the longer time it takes, the perpetrators of human rights cannot deceive the whole world forever. The verdict also sends a strong message to those who think they can commit violations of human rights at will.

“I think it is a strong and serious warning to the dictators and all those who take pride in killing the civilians and it is relevant to the powerful but perpetrators of human rights such as President Bashir of Sudan and his likes in Khartoum” Noted Biel Boutros Biel, Executive Director, South Sudan Human Rights Society for Advocacy(SSHURSA.”Impunity in the world must come to an end because no any human person can claim the infallibilty”. Biel added.

SSHURSA urges all leaders in Sudan and South Sudan as well as the other African leaders to avoid commiting attrocities or crimes against humanity for if they won’t hit genuine call, no matter how long it takes, justice shall always win at the end as Charles Taylor has just met his fate. Human Rights must be respected at all times and everywhere.

For more inquiries, contact SSHURSA at the bellow addresses.

South Sudan Human Rights Society For Advocacy(SSHURSA) is a non political and non profit making organization founded in 2007 with its vision geared towards building an enlightened Human Rights abiding South Sudan. Its mission is to monitor, document human rights vioaltions in South Sudan and train general public on the respect and importance of Human Rights, fundamental freedoms of an individual, democracy and Rule of Law to creating responsible, justice and good governance oriented South Sudan. SSHURSA pays particular focus on the rights of women, children and other vulnerable groups.

Subject: the Government of South Sudan should end the discriminatory and bias against the Ruweng people in Biemnom County in Unity State

The Ruweng Biemnom Community in Diaspora would like to take a minute of silence in memory of our fallen heroes in liberation struggle, and in memory of our civilians who were massacred in 1983 in Unity State’s Biemnom County. We pay attribute to our hero Chief, Camilo Kuot Kur Kuot who was beheaded by the Arab on the same above mentioned year.

We members of the Ruweng Biemnom Community are outraged by the discriminatory and bias support to Abyei utter by the SPLM and Government of South Sudan to annexed Ngol Ruweng in Biemnom (Abiemnom) County, Unity State, to Abyei. The following are the evidences which portray the SPLM and Government of South Sudan’s discriminatory and bias support to Abyei.

Mistakes in Naivasha peace talked

Dinka Ngok’s intent to annex Ngol Biemnom areas to Abyei started during the Naivasha peace talked between the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement and the National Congress Party (NCP). Dinka Ngok was given a chance to only demarcate their border with Arab Messyria through help of International Community who are expert in border demarcation. However, Ngok politicians used Abyei boundary demarcation as a tool to gain a blind support from the Government of South Sudan and to intentionally annexed Ngol Biemnom (Abiemnom) territories into their disputes areas. Dinka Ruweng Biemnom is not prejudice to Dinka Ngok of Abyei, however, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) elucidate and gave Abyei a different status apart from South Sudan territories.

Discriminatory and blind support

The SPLM did not stop Abyei politicians not to claim Biemnom territories in Unity State. The Government of South Sudan was well aware that, Abyei is a dispute area recognized by International Community as a part of North Sudan. It is clear that the CPA stipulated Abyei status. However, Dinka Ngok politicians extended their border deeply inside Unity State and claimed all Ngol Ruweng areas in Biemnom County. Ngol Biemnom areas annexed to Abyei are as follow: Rubajuch, Ding Thon, Ajach, Tor Aliny, Aniin, Parudeng, Abangwuot, Thuba, Lor Ajaac included part of Panrieng areas of Aliny (Hegilig), Kellek and Karassana were officially annexed into Abyei map by the CPA signed in 2005. The two Communities, Biemnom and Panrieng have written several letters to alert the Government of South Sudan to stop Abyei from claiming our areas until the Court of Arbitration delineated Abyei border with Arab Missyria. The International Court of Arbitration’s decision considered all Biemnom and Panrieng areas claimed by Dinka Ngok of Abyei during the CPA as part of the North. As a Community, we view a reluctant of South Sudan Government to stop Abyei politicians from claiming other ethnic areas as a sign of treating Ruweng Biemnom as second class citizens

Signs of being second class citizens in the country

The signs of being second class citizens are when the Gov. favored certain community and reluctant to address other citizens’ claim, it bear a resemblanceto what happened between Abyei and Dinka in Unity State, particularly in Biemnom (Abiemnom) County in Unity State. Abyei wiped out Ngol Ruweng and owned it through help of our Government. The alibi was let Abyei dispute over and border would be demarcated after, but there was no clear explanation of why the Unity State areas have to be claimed under Abyei? Both Panthou and Ngol Biemnom areas shown in the map were part of Abyei. Now, the Government of South Sudan is handling the case of Panthou but Ngol Biemnom areas which are actually border with Abyei remained within Abyei border. We know that the government is the only supreme power of the land; it has the right and power to claim part of its territories from other country. Panrieng areas on 1956 border are known to the world that they belong to South Sudan but Biemnom areas located on border are still considered as part of South Kordofan and Abyei.

We fought the Khartoum Gov. to liberate ourselves from being treated as second class citizens. But through the way our Government claiming other ethnics’ territories in South Sudan under the dispute area which was given a different status by the International community portrayed the unfairness. As a Community, the issue of claiming Ngol Biemnom areas under Abyei is not clear. We doubt if the government of South Sudan would emulate the discrimination faced by South Sudanese from the Arab government in Sudan against its own citizens or is the government of South Sudan would implement the equality, justice and liberty of which we were fighting for?

How did Heglig and Ngol Biemnom areas end up in Hague?

It is irrefutable that the SPLM and Government of South Sudan support Dinka Ngok blindly without recognizing the rights of ethnic groups bordering with Abyei. The Ruweng Biemnom Community in Diaspora have been alerting the SPLM to delineate the Unity State’s Biemnom County border with Abyei and South Kordofan since the beginning of Naivashapeace talked and before Abyei border demarcation took a place. However, our claimed have been denied on basis that, SPLM want to return Abyei back to South and internal borders would be demarcated after the settlement of Abyei dispute. This misleading alibi from Dinka Ngok politicians succeeded and ended up with loss of Unity State’s strategic areas of Rubajuch, Ding Thon, Ajach, Tor Aliny, Aniin, Parudeng, Abangwuot, Panyang Payam, Aliny (Hegilig), Kellek and Karassana. Abyei sons are controlling the Government of South Sudan; they claim their rights at the expenses of voiceless Community in the Government of South Sudan.

Why SPLM had to claim Unity State’s Biemnom County territories under Abyei?

To elucidate, Abyei has no border with Panrieng, the only county bordering with Abyei in Unity State is Biemnom (Abiemnom) County. Biemnom has border with Abyei in the North West, South Kordofan in the North, Panrieng and Rubkona County in the North East, Mayom County in the South and Twic County in the West. Dinka Ngok of Abyei has been technically using the Government of South Sudan to marginalize their neighboring Counties. After the Court of Arbitration drew Abyei border in Hague, South Sudanese knew that their territories were falsely claim by Abyei and Dinka Ngok denied truth that they previously claimed Heglig. Currently, the new map of South Sudan which highlights the dispute areas annexed Ngol Ruweng areas in Biemnom County to Abyei and south Kordofan. The Government of south Sudan should learn from the previous mistake.

We lost our beloved sons in Heglig and we failed diplomatically to get a support from the UN, IGAD, USA and previous CPA partners due to the facts that we put South Sudan territories in jeopardy during the CPA. We could have got a support from the International Community if Ngol Biemnom areas and Heglig were not claimed under Abyei. Dinka Ngok are still not certified with many lives lost in the battle of Heglig through their false claimed of South Sudan’s Unity State territories. They moved their feet from Heglig and placed their feet again in Ngol Biemnom areas in Unity State. South Sudan should be vigilant and look behind the curtain at this time. The Government of south Sudan is repeating the Naivasha mistake which placed Unity State areas under dispute. Ruweng Biemnom share Ngol with Ngok in the North West. Biemnom County areas and Payam bodering Abyei in North West are as follow:

1. Rub-Ajuch

2. Ding Thon

3. Manajonga Payam

4. Lor Ajaac

5. Pawel

6. Bach Amel

7. Kolchuoi etc

Biemnom County areas bordering with panrieng in the East are: Ajach, Aniin, Parudeng, Abangwuot, Panyang Payam, these areas located in Tor Aliny. The sections of Ruweng Biemnom who have border with Kuok section in Panrieng are: Mijuan and Abang. Ajach has a border with South Kordofan in the North and Kellek in the North East. Claiming of Biemnom areas in Unity State under Abyei’s administrative revealed not only, discrimination against the Ruweng people in Biemnom County, it infringed the liberty and equality, because justice has not been revered.

South Sudanese were hopping during the time of struggled to see a future Government of the people, by the people and for the people of South Sudan through fairness and equal rights to all citizens of South Sudan. However, annexation of Ngol Biemnom areas and Heglig to Abyei contrary with the objectives of liberation; the people in Biemnom and Panrieng whose areas have been intentionally claimed under Abyei administrative may view the government as supporting certain community with high ranking officials and part of decision making bodies in the government of South Sudan. Annexation of Ngol Biemnom and Heglig are the concrete evidences which revealed that, Abyei is technically claiming South Sudan’s territories to Arab in the North Sudan, and South Sudan Parliament turned a blind face to intervene.

Supposedly role of South Sudan Parliament over Ngol Biemnom areas and Panthou (Heglig) dispute before and after the Court of Arbitration in Hague

The expected role of parliament is to oversee the nation’s interest. As a Community, we felt that South Sudan’s National Assemble has failed to address the issue of Ngol Biemnom and Panthou. The Parliament should have done a preliminary assessment, to explicitly and ensure that Abyei border demarcation would not jeopardize South Sudan’s territories in Unity State: particularly, Abiemnom County border with Abyei should have been elucidated before the Court of Arbitration in Hague. The parliament should have done the following before or after the Court of Arbitration delineated Abyei border:

1. The Parliament should have made it clear that it is only Abyei land with exclusion of a portion of South Sudan land that is going to Hague.

2. Could have not allowed taking of Ngol Biemnom’s areas and Heglig case to Hague when they are not part of Abyei.

3. After the ruling came from Hague, the Parliament should have made it clear that there was a mistake done because Panthou and other areas in Ngol are party of Unity State and therefore, they are excluded in Abyei territories.

4. Parliament should demarcated or asked people of Abiemnom County if there are some areas erroneously annexed to Abyei from Biemnom (Abiemnom) County.

Finally, we, the Ruweng Biemnom Community in Diaspora demand the following recommendations as part of solutions to Biemnom areas annexed to Abyei and to enhance the Government of South Sudan’s position on border dispute areas:

1. Advise Dinka Ngok to stick with their boundary defined by the International Court of Arbitration.

2. Delineate the Unity State’s Biemnom (Abiemnom) County border with Abyei.

3. Add Ngol Biemnom areas which were erroneously annexed to Abyei and South Kordofan into map of South Sudan.

4. Represent Biemnom (Abiemnom) County in South Sudan’s Border Commission.

5. Biemnom Representatives to border Commission should be nominated by the Ruweng people in Biemnom County and in Diaspora.

6. Suggested, two people from Diaspora and two from Ruweng’s Indigenous people who have lived in Ngol and know Ngol Biemnom (Abiemnom) areas.

7. We requested the Government of South Sudan to represent our people in Border Commission because lack of Biemnom’s representation in the SPLM/SPLA since the beginning of the movement till South Sudan became a Nation has fueled the discrimination of the Ruweng people in the Government of south Sudan.

8. Biemnom was a first Town devastated by the Arab in the South, in 1980s.

9. Despite our early contribution in the SPLA, our Movement has neglected us. As a result, Abyei has an open window to claim Ngol Ruweng areas because they are part of decision making bodies in the Government of South Sudan.

Signed by the Chairmen of the Ruweng Biemnom Community in Diaspora:

1. Lal Miabil Achuil, Chairman of the Ruweng Biemnom Community in North America, Canada and USA

2. Chol Gedi, Chairman of the Ruweng Biemnom Community in Australia

3. Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 403 554 3558