Abyei

The Dinka Ngok will hold a conference to discuss the fate of the Abyei referendum in Abyei town later this week.

Nine Ngok Dinka Chiefdoms will discuss the set back of the Abyei referendum date, according to the co-chair of Abyei Joint Oversight Committee.

“The meeting is necessary because the African Union is reluctant to impose its decision of conducting a referendum in Abyei this month,” said Edward Lino.

“I’m traveling right now from Wau; the agenda of the conference is only one – what will the future of the area be? That is all. They have to decide about their role and the future of the area.’’

This week, President Salva Kiir officially wrote to the African Union over the deadlock and subsequent failure to strike a deal with neighboring Sudan on how to resolve the dispute over Abyei.

The African Union High Level Implementation Panel last year recommended that the referendum on the status of the disputed region should be held this month, but both Sudan and South Sudan failed to agree on a voting day.