Rose Monjtoog Dau, Head of Abyei Civil Society Organizations, welcomed the Misseriya Ajaira’s endorsement of the Port Sudan statement. The statement supports Abyei’s right to take part in Sudan’s December 2026 elections. But Dau made one thing clear: election participation does not settle the region’s separate, unresolved right to self-determination.
Abyei’s Unique Status
Dau described Abyei as a strategically important border area linking Sudan and South Sudan. She said the region’s situation cannot be separated from the agreements and protocols that govern it. These agreements set out a path toward a final resolution of the dispute.
Elections and Self-Determination Are Two Different Questions
Dau explained that voting in elections is not the same as exercising self-determination. The peace agreements grant the right to self-determination to eligible Abyei residents. She also stressed the Ngok Dinka’s distinct status and their historical ties to South Sudan.
Dau said South Sudanese citizens from Abyei should hold the same rights as other South Sudanese people. This should remain the case until a final settlement decides the region’s political status.
“The Ngok Dinka are an integral part of the people of South Sudan, and they deserve the same rights as the South Sudanese people until, God willing, a referendum on self-determination is held,” she said.
Dau believes most Ngok Dinka would vote for Abyei to join the Republic of South Sudan if a referendum were held today.
A Region With Special Legal Status
Abyei sits on a disputed border between Sudan and South Sudan. It holds major strategic and economic importance. Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement signed the Protocol on the Resolution of the Abyei Conflict in 2004. The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement later incorporated this protocol. It gave Abyei special administrative status and promised a referendum on its final status.
The protocol calls Abyei a bridge between the North and the South. It defines the region as the territory of the nine Ngok Dinka chiefdoms transferred to Kordofan in 1905. The protocol also protects the traditional grazing and movement rights of the Misseriya and other nomadic communities. Voter eligibility for the referendum remains one of the biggest sticking points between the two sides.
In 2009, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague redrew the boundaries of the Abyei Area. The agreements still protect the Misseriya’s traditional grazing rights. In June 2011, Sudan’s government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement signed a deal on temporary arrangements for Abyei’s administration and security. This deal set up interim joint arrangements while the two sides work toward a final settlement.
The UN’s Role in Abyei
The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1990 on 27 June 2011. This resolution created the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA). UNISFA monitors security in the region, supports demilitarization, helps protect civilians, and promotes peaceful coexistence among local communities.
Abyei’s final status remains unresolved. The referendum still hasn’t happened, and political and demographic disagreements between Sudan and South Sudan continue. This persists despite years of agreements and regional and international efforts to resolve the dispute.
Respecting the Community’s Rights
Dau closed by stressing that no electoral or administrative arrangement should undermine Abyei residents’ right to determine their own future. She called on all parties to respect existing agreements and to include the Abyei community in decisions that affect its rights and political status.