From: Tsegai Emmanuel (emmanuelt40@gmail.com)
Date: Wed Jul 22 2009 - 09:14:50 EDT
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8162690.stm>
Sudanese accept oil border ruling
*North and south Sudan say they accept a border ruling by judges in The
Hague that gives a big oilfield to the north. *
The Permanent Court of Arbitration has redrawn the boundaries of Abyei
region, which became a flashpoint during a 22-year-long war between north
and south.
The judges decided not to abide by the borders proposed after the 2005 peace
deal, which the north had rejected.
Instead it ruled that several areas - including the Heglig oilfied - were
not part of Abyei.
Although The Hague court was deciding where Abyei's borders lay rather than
who owned the land, analysts say the ruling was crucial in determining the
ownership of the oilfields.
Abyei's inhabitants will be asked in a referendum in 2011 whether they want
to be a part of north or south Sudan - and analysts say they are likely to
opt for a union with the south.
By reducing the size of Abyei compared with the 2005 proposals, the court
has effectively awarded more land and mineral wealth to the north.
The BBC's James Copnall in the capital, Khartoum, says the reaction on the
ground to the judges' ruling will be a key test of the peace between north
and south.
*'Victory for peace' *
Dirdeiry Mohamed Ahmed, the head of the northern government delegation at
The Hague, called the decision a victory.
“ *I do believe this has been a win-win decision for both sides *”
Ashraf Qazi UN special envoy to Sudan
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8162690.stm
"We welcome the fact that the oilfields are now excluded from the Abyei
area, particularly the Heglig oil field," the Associated Press quoted him as
saying.
The south's delegate Riak Machar, vice president in southern Sudan's
semi-autonomous government, described the decision as "balanced" and said he
was committed to respecting it.
"I think this is going to consolidate peace in Sudan. It is a victory for
the Sudanese people and a victory for peace," he said.
The issue was referred to The Hague last year after clashes broke out in
Abyei town, killing about 100 people and forcing tens of thousands to flee.
UN peacekeepers beefed up their presence in Abyei this week amid fears that
a controversial ruling could spark violence.
Douglas Johnson, who was part of the international panel who drew up the
2005 border proposals, said the Hague agreement had respected ethnic
boundaries as well as north and south rivalries.
"Each side can say they were right about something, and each side can come
away feeling that they have been given something from this arrangement," he
told the BBC World Service.
*Rights 'guaranteed' *
The area is home to Arab cattle herders known as the Misseriya who are loyal
to the north, and the Dinka Ngok, part of the largest ethnic group of the
south.
Both sides compete for resources like land for grazing and water -
rivalries that were exploited during the civil war with both sides being
used as proxy armies.
The conflict between the mainly Muslim north and the Christian and animist
south claimed 1.5 million lives.
UN special envoy to Sudan Ashraf Qazi said the Abyei border ruling would
pave the way for the 2005 peace deal to be implemented as a whole.
"The rights of both communities have been guaranteed as a matter of
international law," he said.
"So even if anybody is not 100% satisfied, I do believe this has been a
win-win decision for both sides."
As part of the peace agreement the south will hold a referendum in 2011 on
whether to become independent from the north.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/8162690.stm
Published: 2009/07/22 12:03:36 GMT
© BBC MMIX
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