Abyei cabinet meeting. (Photo: Courtesy).

The Executive Council of Abyei Administrative Area has unanimously endorsed the results of the 2013 referendum officially presented by high commission of the Abyei Community.

In November 2024, the administrative government of the disputed region called on the South Sudan government to endorse the outcome of the October 2013 referendum in which 99 percent of the Ngok Dinka voted to be part of South Sudan.

However, the 8^th Governors Forum declined to publicly read out recommendations on the disputed region’s final status, including the call to recognize the referendum results.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Abyei Acting Minister of Information Deng Kiir Matier said an extraordinary cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Administrator Dr. Chol Deng Alak, unanimously approved the outcome of the referendum.

Minister Matier added that the results will now be handed to the Abyei Legislative Assembly for subsequent adoption before its presentation to the South Sudan government.

On his part, Justice Monyluak Alor Kuol, the Chairperson of the High Commission of Abyei Area Community Referendum underscored that the official results are overwhelmingly in favour of the region becoming part of South Sudan.

“The result was overwhelming and the people of Abyei should be part of South Sudan, because the results was accepted and it was very high of 99.9%,” he said.

“People said yes we joining South Sudan, our work as a commission was administered we with the best of our ability, observing standards that are usually follow with the commissions of referendum all the world.”

Although South Sudan designates Abyei as one of its three administrative areas, the region has been contested by Sudan and South Sudan since 2011 when the two nations separated after 21 years of civil war.

Abyei is the traditional homeland of the Ngok Dinka, but herders linked to the northern nomadic Arab tribe of Misseriya seasonally cross to Abyei with their cattle in search of water and pasture in the dry season and to trade goods.

In 1972, at the end of Sudan’s first civil war, the Addis Ababa Agreement promised residents of Abyei the right to hold a referendum to determine whether they would remain a part of northern Sudan or join the newly formed southern region.

However, in 1983, Sudan descended into another civil war after President Jaafar Nimeiri refused to implement the agreement and allow Abyei to hold its referendum.

The war ended after signing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005, which included the Abyei Protocol stipulating that the region would remain under special administrative status.

The region was said to hold a status referendum to allow its residents to determine whether Abyei would become part of Sudan or South Sudan.

In October 2013, the Ngok Dinka held the referendum in which they overwhelmingly voted for Abyei to be part of South Sudan, but the result was not recognized by either Sudan or South Sudan.