海角大神

Fragile stalemate emerges after fighting in Sudan's Abyei region

With the northern Sudanese military firmly in control of the disputed territory of Abyei, Abyei鈥檚 residents have fled to the nearby towns of Agok and Aniet.

With Sudan鈥檚 northern and southern armies facing off on either side of the River Kiir and the bridge between them all but destroyed, civilians just south are settling into a difficult new reality. So long as the Sudan Armed Forces stay in Abyei, its Ngok Dinka residents will not go home. 鈥淲e reject their claims that they will bring peace to Abyei,鈥� said Abyei elder Deng Arop Kuol, the older brother of the area鈥檚 top official. Displaced people from the region broadly agree.

Without the option of going home, some of those who initially fled further south are now arriving in Aniet and its neighboring town, Agok. The market that was abandoned last week is seeing some activity, though there is very little to buy; the area鈥檚 main supply route comes from the north and cuts through Abyei, so no goods are coming through. Soldiers and gun-toting civilians are everywhere.

Abyei resident Rou Manyiel, a father of three, just arrived in Aniet after spending the past week in a more remote area further south, where they failed to find shelter. 鈥淭he people there were very generous, but we need a place to put up,鈥� he said, noting with some embarrassment that the host community provided his family with the small meals they have had since they left Abyei on the evening SAF invaded.

The family is still sleeping outside, but now they鈥檙e staying under a tree on a small plot of land where they lived when Abyei was attacked in 2008. 鈥淥ur house used to be there,鈥� Mr. Manyiel said, pointing to a patch of soil with the faint footprint of a small hut. 鈥淥nce I have my family settled, I will proceed to Abyei and help take back the town,鈥� he said.

Manyiel was trained as a soldier in Cuba and then fought for the rebel Sudan People鈥檚 Liberation Army during the civil war. Now he is a veterinarian and the president of a coalition of the Abyei civil society groups. Wearing a beige polo shirt, sneakers, and ankle socks, the AK-47 slung across his shoulder is conspicuous. 鈥淲hen the invasion began, I took this gun from some police,鈥� he explained. 鈥淚鈥檓 not a soldier anymore, but I have to defend my family.鈥�

As bombs fell, Manyiel鈥檚 wife ran with their three small children. Manyiel said he stayed behind with some of the men from their community to try to defend the town. After about two hours of fighting, they left as well when they realized they were outnumbered and overpowered.

In 2008, Misseriya militias and SAF soldiers attacked Abyei, leaving many of the buildings charred or burned to the ground. There were no aerial bombardments, a marked difference from the recent attack. The Ngok Dinka population largely fled to Agok, like Manyiel鈥檚 family, where they waited until it was safe to go back. This time, even the population of Agok fled south, fearing that the northern army would advance beyond the river.

鈥淩eally, it鈥檚 a policy of ethnic cleansing,鈥� Manyiel said. 鈥淚f the SAF was only retaliating for the SPLA attack, why wouldn鈥檛 they just target soldiers? [The northern government] cleared out the Dinka so that they could resettle the Misseryia. They have to occupy Abyei so that they can negotiate from a strong position. Now, at the table, they can say anything they want.鈥�

With the northern military firmly in control of Abyei and the SPLA positioned along the river, Agok and Aniet are about as far north as Abyei鈥檚 residents can settle. Still, their leaders say that many residents are eager to come this far.

Sitting on a mat not far from where they will construct their temporary home, Manyiel鈥檚 family 鈥� now joined by two grandmothers, two aunts, and a handful of cousins, including a three-week old baby 鈥� looks at ease, especially considering their recent ordeal. They will soon receive food from the World Food Program and a sack of household goods to help them get started. Friends and neighbors from Abyei have settled nearby. Considering the volatility of the situation in Abyei and the fact that a resolution looks a long way off, the relative calm in Aniet might be an appealing alternative. But Manyiel waves off the idea that his family could stay here permanently. 鈥淎byei is not their land,鈥� he said, using the generic term Arab. 鈥淲hy would we leave it to them? If they take it, how do we know that they won鈥檛 come and take this place as well?鈥�

Mr. Kuol said that people in his community have expressed frustration about the southern army鈥檚 inability to repel the attack on Abyei. 鈥淪ome people say the SPLA should have done more to defend. But we in the leadership understand that for now they are focused on the July 9th process,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey do not want to jeopardize the independence.鈥�

Within this community that identifies itself as southern, the upcoming secession, now just a month away, lacks the celebratory luster that it holds in much of the South. 鈥淎s it was agreed, we will not be part of the independent state,鈥� said Manyiel. 鈥淏ut we are happy to see the South get what they fought for.鈥� He paused for a moment. 鈥淲hat we fought for.鈥�

For at least the next month, the stable but fragile new status quo seems it will endure. Aid organizations now have a clear sense of who is in need and are coordinating to provide services. The river forms a natural boundary between the two armies, and commanders with the southern forces have indicated they will not make any moves north. But the words 鈥渇or now鈥� are uttered frequently 鈥� by displaced people, aid workers, armed men, and Abyei鈥檚 leaders alike.

-鈥� Laura Heaton blogs for the Enough Project at .