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Abyei, a non-state entity of post-war Sudanese divide

Abyei, a fist of oil-rich land on the border between Sudan and South Sudan, is violently contested.

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Agok, a settlement of mainly displaced people on the southern border of Abyei with South Sudan, hosts tens of thousands of families displaced by fighting inside Abyei and also from South Sudan's troubled northern states. [Ashley Hamer/Al Jazeera]
By Ashley Hamer
Published On 1 Jul 2015

Abyei is a tormented piece of land, locked on the border between Sudan and South Sudan.

“The box” as insiders call it, has been violently contested since South Sudan split from the north in 2011. There is oil here, which the governments of both countries desire to possess.

There is no government in Abyei, no legal justice system and no police force. When South Sudan gained independence, the governments of Khartoum and Juba failed to agree on the border division, leaving Abyei’s status unresolved.

A United Nations peacekeeping mission – the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) – has monitored the situation here since 2011.

When South Sudan seceded, most of greater Sudan’s oil fields went with it. One of these, known as Difra oil field, remains disputed inside the Abyei box.

Despite agreeing to a demilitarised Abyei, the Sudanese government keeps armed “oil police” guarding the site.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir promised to give four percent of oil sales from Difra to the people of Abyei. Bashir’s condition was that this money could only be distributed by a local administration. But no functioning local administration exists and political dialogue at every level has collapsed. Consequently, the government of Sudan keeps all Difra oil revenue for itself.

Abyei is also ethnically contested. It is claimed by a southern sub-tribe – the Ngok-Dinka – who raise livestock and live inside the box. They held a unilateral referendum in 2013, voting to join South Sudan, but this has never been recognised.

The Misseriya – northern Arab nomads – also lay claim to Abyei. This group of people migrate south into the box from Sudan for half the year seeking water and pasture for their cattle.

Cattle raids, killings and revenge attacks are frequent and brutal. Misseriya have been know to abduct Ngok-Dinka children.

Due to insecurity, humanitarian agencies operating from the south cannot implement aid projects in territory occupied by groups aligned with the north, leaving most of Abyei crumbling, neglected, and its population forgotten.

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The Ngok-Dinkas fled villages inside Abyei and retreated closer to its border with South Sudan to escape attacks by Misseriya moving through the territory. [Ashley Hamer/Al Jazeera]
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In the absence of law and order, the Ngok-Dinkas have established unofficial community protection committees (CPC) to 'police' their villages and respond to trouble. UNISFA has trained many and recently was recognised by the UN Security Council for its efforts. The trainees are unpaid volunteers. [Ashley Hamer/Al Jazeera]
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UNISFA troops pull trapped calves from thick mud. UNISFA is the only peacekeeping force worldwide with only one nation contributing troops: Ethiopia. Around 5,600 Ethiopian peacekeepers are based in Abyei, on an agreement reached by both Sudan and South Sudan. [Ashley Hamer/Al Jazeera]
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Abyei Town, once the main settlement in the Abyei box, where Dinka and Misseriya co-existed peacefully, was destroyed in 2011 when Sudanese Armed Forces launched a military campaign against the south as it battled for independence. [Ashley Hamer/Al Jazeera]
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Due to ongoing insecurity and political stalemate, little is being rebuilt in Abyei Town and a neglected population exists among the shells of bombed-out buildings. [Ashley Hamer/Al Jazeera]
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An Ethiopian peacekeeper stands inside a bombed-out school building in Abyei Town. Graffiti illustrates Ngok-Dinka affiliations with South Sudan's military (SPLA). [Ashley Hamer/Al Jazeera]
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Misseriya groups cross into Abyei for half the year seeking water for their cattle herds. Clashes are frequent between Ngok-Dinka and Misseriya as they compete for resources, and each accusing UNISFA of favouring the other. [Ashley Hamer/Al Jazeera]
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The Misseriya, who have been crossing into Abyei for decades, reject any political development on the status of the territory which threatens their access to traditional grazing land inside the box. [Ashley Hamer/Al Jazeera]
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The Misseriya's nomadic lifestyle and alignment with the north means humanitarian groups have struggled to reach them with sustainable aid. As a result they have limited access to education and healthcare. [Ashley Hamer/Al Jazeera]
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Nyanyath Payjok's three children were abducted by Misseriya in an attack on her village in March. Remarkably, UNISFA and its partners managed to locate the children, who had been taken out of the Abyei territory into Sudan. [Ashley Hamer/Al Jazeera]
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For the first time in general memory, the release of the children was negotiated and Payjok's children were returned to her after several weeks in captivity. The children are traumatised but healthy and have gone back to school. [Ashley Hamer/Al Jazeera]