[Archive] Letter on Abyei Crisis

Rt Hon Gordon Brown (MP)
Prime Minister
Her Majesty's Government
United Kingdom

Wednesday, 28th May 2008

Concern About the Deteriorating Situation in Abyei, South Sudan

United South Sudan Party (USSP) is a South Sudanese political party formed after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005 between the Government of Sudan (GOS) and the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement (SPLM). One of the fundamental aims of USSP is to represent the true aspirations of the majority of the people of South Sudan for an independent country as a means to securing permanent peace in the region, peace which is based on what the people actually want. We, in USSP, would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to your government and others we have not mentioned here that contributed tremendously to the peace effort in South Sudan by securing the CPA. We hope that you will continue to support the CPA by ensuring that all its protocols are implemented fully to achieve its aims and objectives.

We are very concerned that fighting has been intensifying in Abyei with the Government of Sudan being excessively heavy handed and bombing innocent civilians in the area. Reports coming out of the area indicate that the town of Abyei itself has been reduced to rubble by the Government of Sudan. This is a direct violation of the peace agreement (CPA) which you all helped to put in place. We believe, therefore, that you will not let the situation to deteriorate any further. A strong pressure must be brought to bear on the Government of Sudan to stop the wanton destruction it is causing to life in the area. The attitude of the Government of Sudan has all along been very clear in the way it is dragging its feet over the case of the border between South Sudan and Northern Sudan and the destiny of Abyei. We believe that you will agree with us that this action of the GOS should not be allowed to continue and must be condemned in the strongest terms possible.

What we have indicated above about the attitude and arrogance of the GOS is clear from the following pieces of evidence and examples:

The GOS has deliberately not implemented one of the key protocols of the CPA which is the demarcation of the border between the South and the North in accordance with the timetable stipulated by the CPA. The GOS and the National Congress Party (NCP), the senior partner to the CPA, are unwilling to demarcate the border, choosing to first displace the indigenous people of Abyei and move the North-South border southwards to engulf the oil fields of South Sudan to be geographically counted as part of Northern Sudan. The International Community, especially the parties that helped to bring about the CPA such as the government of the United Kingdom, need to be aware of this dirty trick of the NCP and GOS.

The National Congress Party (NCP) and the Government of Sudan (GOS) are also in breach of the CPA by not withdrawing Northern Sudanese troops from South Sudan as stipulated and scheduled by the CPA. The presence of these troops in the South beyond the timetable stipulated by the CPA is largely to blame for the renewed hostilities in the Abyei area between the SPLA (Sudan Peoples' Liberation Army) and Government troops. It can be safely assumed that this is the desired aim of the NCP and GOS to give themselves an excuse to ruthlessly destroy the South as can be witnessed in the current renewed fighting in Abyei. Without intervention by the International Community and the partners to the CPA, this renewed fighting is most likely to plunge the whole region back into full-scale war! This fear has also been expressed by the SPLM's Secretary-General, Pagan Amum, when he stated in news conference in Khartoum that "we are on the brink of war as we speak". [Reuters May 26, 2008]

In addition to Reuters, the fighting in the South Sudanese oil-rich area of Abyei has been reported by a number of other media sources and eye witnesses in South Sudan. It will not be difficult for the International Community to establish the facts for themselves. Such facts will need to be established independently of Sudan Government sources which are well known for concealing facts. There have been reports of between 30,000 and 50,000 civilians having been displaced from Abyei as a result of attacks by the Government of Sudan. According to a Sudan Armed Forces spokesperson speaking on Omdurman TV, at least 24 government troops have been killed in the fighting and more than 50 injured. This report did not disclose the number of civilian casualties who might have been caught up in the fighting but, we believe, the civilian casualties may be much higher than troops.

As a result of the displacement of thousands of families from Abyei area, there is a serious need for humanitarian assistance to the displaced people so as to avoid the escalation of further human catastrophe.

United South Sudan Party (USSP) hereby urges you, the main partners to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the International Community in general, to condemn the action of the Sudan National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudanese Government in the strongest terms ever so as to stop them from taking the country back to war and destroying human lives in South Sudan. We also urge your immediate intervention to stop these violations of the CPA and device a mechanism to strengthen the UN peace-keeping operations in South Sudan so as to enable them to keep peace more effectively with the ability to detect any future violations of this kind.


Thank you very much.

Clement Mbugoniwia
Leader, United South Sudan Party (USSP)

CC:
- The Rt Hon David Cameron (MP) -- Leader, Conservative Party
- The Rt Hon Nick Clegg (MP) -- Leader, Liberal Democrats
- Hon David Drew (MP) -- Chair, Associate Parliamentary Group on Sudan
- United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS)
- Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD)