Preliminary Agreement: Dialogue between the Ngok Dinka community and Misseriyya

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Country/entity: South Sudan
Sudan
Southern Kordofan - Blue Nile - Abyei
Region: Africa (excl MENA)
Agreement name: Preliminary Agreement: Dialogue between the Ngok Dinka community and Misseriyya
Date: 10 Aug 2012
Agreement status: Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement: Yes
Agreement/conflict level: Intrastate/local conflict
Sudan Conflicts (1955 - )
Agreements relate to several distinct dyads, and also the negotiated independence of South Sudan, and subsequent internal conflict in South Sudan. Sudan-South Sudan. The long-standing conflict between the north and the south of the country dates back to colonial times, where the British introduced a so-called ‘Southern Policy’, severely hampering population movements between these big regions. Immediately after gaining independence in 1956, southern movements started to fight for independence; this fight became professionalised in 1983 with the foundation of the soon internationally supported Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA). When the Islamic Front government introduced strict sharia laws in the south after it took over power in 1988 the war intensified. A decade later, the military situation reached a stalemate, enabling internationally facilitated peace negotiations to begin in 1997. After more fighting, a final negotiation push began in 2002, leading to the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Areement (CPA) in January 2005.

Sudan-South Sudan post referendum. South Sudan became independent in July 2011; since then, relations between the two countries are complicated and violent conflict led by the SPLM (North) in the Sudanese Nuba mountains region has since intensified.

Darfur. Other long-standing violent conflicts are in the east and the west of the country. In the east, the Beja Congress, established in 1957, is the spearhead of a currently ‘peaceful’ opposition movement. In the west, the violent conflict in Darfur intensified in the early 2000s and rapidly gained international attention, even resulting in genocide charges against leading figures of the Sudanese government. The situation on the ground is complex, with over a dozen organisations (most notably the Sudanese Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement) fighting the Sudanese government and allied groups like the Janjaweed – although all parties have switched sides on numerous occasions. Several mediation attempts have not been successful, due to the shaky commitment of the Sudanese central government and the distrust among the armed opposition.

South Sudan - internal
In December 2013, after president Salva Kiir accused opposition leader Riek Machar of attempting a coup, violent conflict broke out between government forces of the SPLM/A and anti-governmental groups. In addition, several other political militias as well as communal militias have joined the conflict. In 2015 the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS) was signed. Due to unsuccessful implementation the agreement was revitalized in 2018. In September 2019, Kiir and Machar agreed to establish a power-sharing government after struggles on forming a unity transitional government.
Stage: Pre-negotiation/process
Conflict nature: Inter-group
Peace process: Kordofan - Blue Nile - Abyei process
Parties: Misseriyya, signed by Hamdi Al-Hodou Ismail;
Ngok Dinka, signed by Afaj Dink Byunq;
Third parties: Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC). Hosted at the Headquarters of the United Nations Mission in Abyei, Sudan.
Description: Short agreement seeking to facilitate dialogue between the nomadic (Sunni) Baggara Arab Misseriya people and the nomadic (Christian/Animist) Ngok Dinka people to reconcile the two communities and implement agreed upon norms and 'practices of tolerance'.

Agreement document: SD_SS_120810_Pact on Core Principles for Peaceful Coexistence between Dinka Ngok and Misseriya-Abyei.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF
Agreement document (original language): SD_SS_120810_Pact on Core Principles for Peaceful Coexistence between Dinka Ngok and Misseriya-Abyei_AR.pdf (opens in new tab)| Download PDF

Local agreement properties

Process type: Formal structured process
Rationale: The signatories of this agreement met for two days under the initiative of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC) in the premises of the United Nations Mission's (UNISFA) headquarters, suggesting some level of structure and formality. It does not appear to be an isolated example of peacemaking between representatives of the groups signing the agreement (see, for example, agreement 'Misseriyya and Dinka Ngok Conference, Conference Agreement, Kadugli' of 13/01/2011).
Is there a documented link to a national peace process?: No
Link to national process: articulated rationale: Neither the agreement text nor limited background research suggests a link to the national-level peace process.
Name of Locale: Abyei Area
Nature of Locale: Region
GPS Lat/Long (DD): 9.600000, 28.433333
Participant type: International or transnational actor
Domestic religious organisation/leader or other elder
Mediator, facilitator or similar: Mediator or similar referred to
Mediator (references): Initiator: Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC) initiated the dialogue that led to the signing of the agreement. Facilitator: United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) facilitated the meeting in its headquarters in Abyei.
Type of mediator/facilitator/similar: International or transnational actor

Local issues

Ritual/prayer and process (including use of scripture): No specific mention.
Grievance List: Page 1, ... First: Confirming the urgency of the dialogue and its continuation with mutual respect between the communities of Ngok Dinka and the Misseriyya despite current bitterness and past grievances, and to create a shared relationship as well as to return to a relationship of long-lasting tolerance.
Second: Acknowledging the existence of common injustice among the Ngok Dinka and Misseriyya communities and the urgency of joint action to eliminate such injustice.
Third: Confirming the suffering of the Ngok Dinka due to the disturbances and disruptions of security which affected the region.
Cattle rustling/banditry: No specific mention.
Social cover: No specific mention.

The Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC)

Headquarters of the United Nations Mission – Abyei

8/10/2012

Preliminary Agreement Dialogue between the Ngok Dinka community and the Misseriyya

We, the leadership in the civil administration of the Ngok Dinka and the Misseriyya, under the kind initiative of the the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC), held a meeting in the town of Abyei between 9-10/8/2012 to initiate a dialogue in the spirit of responsibility and commitment to create a new reality on the ground and to arrive at a bright future for the neighbouring people and communities on this land.

The exchange over the crucial issue of peaceful coexistence in the Abyei region led to the following announcement of agreed principles:

First:

Confirming the urgency of the dialogue and its continuation with mutual respect between the communities of Ngok Dinka and the Misseriyya despite current bitterness and past grievances, and to create a shared relationship as well as to return to a relationship of long-lasting tolerance.

Second:

Acknowledging the existence of common injustice among the Ngok Dinka and Misseriyya communities and the urgency of joint action to eliminate such injustice.

Third:

Confirming the suffering of the Ngok Dinka due to the disturbances and disruptions of security which affected the region.

Fourth:

The importance to illuminate rules on the basis of this announcement and through joint reconciliation between the Ngok Dinka and Misseriyya communities, while also acknowledging the aspirations and hopes of the Ngok Dinka.

Fifth:

Confirming the urgency to realize agreed-upon norms and practices of tolerance as well as the organisation of peaceful coexistence between the two communities.

Sixth:

The parties seek to accelerate the preparatory dialogues towards convening a conference of reconciliation and collective peaceful coexistence, seeking a return to tribal relations in a prosperous era.

The signatories:

“Hamdi Al-Hodou” Ismail for the leadership of the Misseriyya “Afaj Dink Byunq” for the leadership of the Ngok Dinka