The co-chairperson for the Abyei Joint oversight committee, AJOC, has welcomed a call by the UN Secretary General to have more peacekeeping troops sent to Abyei.

Last week, the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki -moon called on members of the UN Security Council to approve sending more than one thousand extra troops to Abyei.

Mr. Edward Lino, the co-chairperson for AJOC told Eye Radio that although he welcomed the move, he wanted the foreign soldiers to respect the current people in the area:

“I want to say that when they come, they should act knowing there is an administration in the area and there are people in the area…..the UN should not obstruct anything of that type, they should stand together with the people.”

On May 4, Dinka Ngok Paramount Chief Kuol Deng Kuol was killed by Misseriya gunmen in an ambush while traveling with a UNISFA convoy.

This caused Abyei elders to call upon the UN to look into security situation of the region.