copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Abyei is a territory of South Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-03-05): Abyei – a territory roughly the size of Jamaica – is being contested by two countries, Sudan and South Sudan. Abyei, which covers just over 10,000km², is under special administrative status following the terms of a 2005 peace agreement between the two countries. [...] Abyei is deeply embedded in the history of the Ngok Dinka community, who are among the northernmost Dinka populations. The Dinka represent the predominant ethnolinguistic group in South Sudan, a country that emerged as the world’s newest nation in 2011. [...] In an effort to resolve the dispute over Abyei’s sovereignty, negotiations held between the Sudanese government and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement that began in 2002 proposed a referendum to decide if Abyei should become part of Sudan or South Sudan. Such a referendum would have been held in parallel with the South Sudanese independence referendum in 2011.
Claim: Abyei is a territory of South Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-01-29): Sudan-South Sudan border: Clashes kill dozens in disputed Abyei region [...] South Sudan and Sudan jointly administer Abyei, and both claim ownership to the region in a dispute that has remained unresolved since the South's independence in 2011. [...] The UK, Norway and the United States, the international trio that sponsored South Sudan's independence, said on Monday that they were "deeply concerned by the escalation of violence in recent months between communities living in and around" Abyei.
Claim: Abyei is a territory of South Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2013-01-15): The Abyei Area covers 4,000 square miles of desert, farmland, and oil fields located along the ill-defined border between Sudan and South Sudan. Abyei is claimed by both countries and has been a source of conflict in the Sudans for over 50 years. Abyei’s rich oil reserves make the region economically desirable to both Sudan and South Sudan. Its border location has also led to conflicting ethnic, cultural, and linguistic claims. Resolving the status of the Abyei Area is one of the essential steps Sudan and South Sudan need to take to ensure long-term peace in the region. [...] Abyei is the traditional homeland of the Ngok Dinka, a tribal group with strong ethnic, cultural, and linguistic ties to the Dinka of South Sudan. Misseriya herders, members of a northern nomadic Arab tribe, seasonally traverse Abyei and other North-South border areas with their cattle in search of water and pasture in the dry season and to trade goods.
Claim: Abyei is a territory of South Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-05-07): The representative of Ecuador said that the continued presence of South Sudanese security forces in Abyei contravenes the demilitarized status of the zone, which was established by the 20 June 2011 Agreement. Such presence also restricts UNISFA’s freedom of movement — hindering its ability to fulfil its mandate — and he therefore called on the Government of South Sudan to withdraw its forces and "respect Abyei as a demilitarized territory". He also urged resumed dialogue between Khartoum and Juba on the final status of Abyei and border questions; the unhindered transit of humanitarian aid; and continued support to this end by the Government of South Sudan. Welcoming the work of UNISFA and its personnel, he said that these efforts are "key" to fostering peace and security in Abyei amidst challenging circumstances.
Claim: Abyei is a territory of South Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2013-08-29): - recalled its earlier decision supporting the 21 September 2012 proposal of the AU High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) on the final status of Abyei, which called for a referendum that includes the participation of the Ngok Dinka and other permanent residents of Abyei to determine whether the area belongs to Sudan or South Sudan; - expressed its intention to visit Abyei to demonstrate its support for the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) and the people in the area; and - decided to extend the mandate of AUHIP for an additional six months. [...] Several Council members also remain troubled by the situation in Abyei. The temporary administrative structures—the Abyei Area Council, the Abyei Area Adminstration and the Abyei Police Service—still have not been established, and discussions on the final status of Abyei have made no progress.
Claim: Abyei is a territory of South Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2015-02-26): He said that it was well understood that, until the situation was settled in a lasting manner, Abyei remained part of Sudan. His country wanted to see all the issues resolved and the necessary mechanisms operationalized, as it was very keen to see stability in the South. Cooperation and neighbourliness must be developed with South Sudan, in particular, and he hoped that final agreements would be reached in that context. [...] "5. Further reiterates its demand that Sudan and South Sudan urgently commence the establishment of the Abyei Area Administration and Council, including by resolving the deadlock over the composition of the Council, and constitute the Abyei Police Service, to enable it to take over policing functions throughout the Abyei Area, including the protection of oil infrastructure, in accordance with their commitments in the 20 June 2011 Agreement;
Claim: Abyei is a territory of South Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-12-05): In response to the UN Secretary-General’s request for a joint programme for Abyei (Security Council Resolution 2609 in December 2021) we established an informal coordination structure which brought together our two Resident Coordinator Offices with UN agencies and the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA: the peacekeeping mission in Abyei). Abyei is a politically disputed Administrative Area between Sudan and South Sudan. The political context in which the UN and partners are operating make collaboration extremely challenging, given that mobility across the region and access to certain communities is restricted. [...] Straddled by Sudan and South Sudan, the politically disputed Abyei Administrative Area is no stranger to violence. Claimed by both governments, its undefined political status in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and South Sudan’s referendum for independence in 2011 has created a highly politicized environment where rule of law has been absent beyond customary law and inter-communal conflict is rife. [...] Abyei is also contested on inter-communal grounds. Longstanding territorial disputes, primarily between the agro-pastoralist Misseriya and southern-inhabiting Ngok Dinka communities, frequently erupt into armed attacks, gender-based violence incidents and child abduction. Clashes in February this year displaced over 70,000 people, exacerbating the extant humanitarian crisis.
Claim: Abyei is a territory of Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-09-20): The Abyei Area (Arabic: منطقة أبيي) is an area of 10,546 km2 or 4,072 sq mi[2] on the border between South Sudan and Sudan that has been accorded "special administrative status" by the 2004 Protocol on the Resolution of the Abyei Conflict (Abyei Protocol) in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the Second Sudanese Civil War.[3] The capital of the Abyei Area is Abyei Town. Under the terms of the Abyei Protocol, the Abyei Area is considered, on an interim basis, to be simultaneously part of both the Republic of South Sudan and Republic of Sudan, effectively a condominium. [...] Abyei Area Administration [edit]Under the terms of the Abyei Protocol, the residents of the Abyei Area have been declared, on an interim basis, to be simultaneously citizens of the states of West Kurdufan (Republic of Sudan) and Northern Bahr el Ghazal (South Sudan) until such time as a referendum can determine the permanent status of the area. An Abyei Area Administration was established on 31 August 2008.
Claim: Abyei is a territory of Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-03-05): On the border between South Sudan and Sudan, Abyei covers just over 10,000 square kilometres. Its special administrative status, mandated by a 2005 peace agreement, belies the simmering tensions that have fuelled violent inter-communal conflicts. [...] Abyei – a territory roughly the size of Jamaica – is being contested by two countries, Sudan and South Sudan. Abyei, which covers just over 10,000km², is under special administrative status following the terms of a 2005 peace agreement between the two countries. [...] In an effort to resolve the dispute over Abyei’s sovereignty, negotiations held between the Sudanese government and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement that began in 2002 proposed a referendum to decide if Abyei should become part of Sudan or South Sudan. Such a referendum would have been held in parallel with the South Sudanese independence referendum in 2011.
Claim: Abyei is a territory of Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-11-21): 32 killed in attacks in the Abyei region, which is disputed between Sudan and South Sudan [...] Earlier this month, the U.N. special envoy for the Horn of Africa, Hanna Serwaa Tetteh warned that the "unprecedented" 7-month war between Sudan’s army and a rival paramilitary force was getting closer to South Sudan and the Abyei region. [...] Sudan and South Sudan have disagreed over control of the oil-rich Abyei region since South Sudan gained independence from Sudan after a 2005 peace deal ended decades of civil war between Sudan’s north and south.
Claim: Abyei is a territory of Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-12-24): A brief history of AbyeiA brief history of Abyei [...] Abyei, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the War in Sudan’s New South Johnson, Douglas H., 'Abyei, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the War in Sudan’s New South', in Sarah M. H. Nouwen, Laura M. James, and Sharath Srinivasan (eds), Making and Breaking Peace in Sudan and South Sudan: The Comprehensive Peace Agreement and Beyond (London, 2020; online edn, British Academy Scholarship Online, 20 May 2021), https://doi.org/10.5871/bacad/9780197266953.003.0004, accessed 9 Oct. 2024.
Claim: Abyei is a territory of Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-07-16): Abyei (also spelled Abyēy; Arabic: أبيي) is a border town currently in the Abyei Area that is disputed by South Sudan and the Sudan. The U.N. estimated the town's population at around 20,000 previous to May 2011 events.[1] The oil-producing and fertile Abyei Area, with Abyei town as its center, is a disputed territorial point of contention in the July 2011 secession of South Sudan process.[1] [...] 2011 [edit]Abyei referendum [edit]Whether Abyei Area and town would remain part of the South Kordofan region of northern Sudan or become part of the Bahr el Ghazal region of South Sudan (Republic of South Sudan) was to be decided by a local referendum in 2011.[4] Disagreements over the process, and the recent violent takeover, raise questions whether a vote will be held.[1]
Claim: Abyei is a territory of Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-03-26): Abyei is a territory that straddles Sudan and South Sudan. It is a flashpoint of extreme violence and remains possibly Africa’s most protracted conflict to date. Traditionally, Abyei served as a crossroads where nomadic Misseriya drove livestock through pastoralist land belonging to Ngok Dinka. Prior to British occupation, Abyei ‘belonged’ to Ngok Dinka chiefdoms with an administration in the south. Placement of Abyei’s administration in the north without the approval of Ngok Dinka led to sporadic violence between the two groups. Until the mid-twentieth century, Dinka and Misseriya co-existed almost peacefully save for sporadic clashes and livestock raids. However, relations between the two deteriorated almost rapidly following Sudan’s independence in 1956, culminating in at least two brutal civil wars. Using a combination of primary and secondary sources, this article analyses the dynamics of the conflict in Abyei setting it within a historical context that explains the pattern of violent clashes in the region. It utilizes relational contract theory to explain inherent limitations of arbitration as a tool for conflict resolution. It concludes by noting lessons to benefit future peace processes. [...] Salman, Salman M.A. "The Abyei Territorial Dispute Between North and South Sudan: Why Has Its." Land and Post-conflict Peacebuilding (2013): 25.
Claim: Abyei is a territory of Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2009-07-22): The Abyei area is a central region straddling the undefined border between Sudan’s mainly Muslim north and the mostly Christian south. [...] Abyei is currently governed by a joint north-south administration, but residents have been promised a referendum in January 2011 on whether they want to join north or south Sudan. [...] Abyei is also an oil-rich area which neither side would like to lose.
Claim: Abyei is a territory of Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-01-29): Overall, 52 people, including women and children, died in the Abyei region during the weekend, local officials said on Monday. Both Sudan and South Sudan claim the oil-rich region along their shared border. Bulis Koch, the information minister for Abyei, reported that armed youth from South Sudan’s Warrap state carried out raids into neighbouring Abyei on Saturday. [...] The Abyei region’s ownership status was left unresolved after South Sudan became independent from Sudan in 2011.
Claim: Abyei is a territory of Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2011-05-23): Sudan: Why Abyei is crucial to north and south - Published Abyei town may not look like much - a few low brick buildings scattered amongst thatched huts and dusty tracks - but this normally sleepy place is raising fears of a new Sudanese war after northern forces seized control over the weekend. [...] Abyei is claimed by a southern group, the Dinka Ngok, and northern nomads, the Misseriya.
Claim: Abyei is a territory of Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2013-12-19): To allow the people of Abyei to decide whether they want the area to remain part of Sudan or be restored, 98 years after it was transferred by the stroke of a colonial pen, to South Sudan. A dispute between Khartoum and Juba over voter eligibility prevented the referendum being held as scheduled in early 2011, when residents of what was then the autonomous region of southern Sudan voted in a separate referendum which paved the way for its secession in July of that year. [...] For about six months of every year the Abyei area is also home to around 150,000 migrating pastoralists from Sudan’s Misseriya community (and 1.6 million head of livestock), many of whose members fought in pro-Khartoum militias during the civil war. [...] In terms of natural resources, water (notably the River Kiir, also known as the Bahr al-Arab), pasture and some arable land are Abyei’s main assets. Perhaps the most valuable commodity there now is political capital: neither Juba nor Khartoum can afford to lose what has become a zero-sum game. For South Sudan, and most Ngok Dinka, Abyei is historically and culturally part of the south, as well as a cause the Juba government uses to unite its disparate peoples.
Claim: Abyei is a territory of Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-10-20): Abyei: Sudan and South Sudan’s new chance to solve old disputes [...] Lying on the border between the two countries, Abyei has been a disputed area since South Sudan become independent in 2011. In the run-up to the independence referendum, Khartoum and Juba argued fiercely over whether the territory ought to belong to the north or south. The outcome was initially seen as particularly significant due to the presence of large oil reserves in the region, though after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that most oil fields fell outside Abyei, the focus shifted to the area’s economic and sociopolitical importance. [...] This point is crucial. According to a 2008 estimate, the population of West Kordofan state, the homeland of the Misseriya, was 1.3 million. The population of the Ngok Dinka was just 200,000. This means that if the Misseriya voted in a referendum, Abyei would almost certainly become part of Sudan, given that West Kordofan is a state in Sudan. If only the Ngok Dinka were eligible, the result would go the other way. In fact, in a unilateral and unsanctioned vote held in October 2013, the Ngok Dinka voted almost unanimously to join South Sudan.
Claim: Abyei is a territory of Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-05-07): Ongoing war in Sudan stalls progress in disputed Abyei region The ongoing conflict between rival militaries in Sudan has stalled progress towards the determination of the final status of the disputed oil-rich Abyei region which straddles the Sudan-South Sudan border, the head of UN peacekeeping operations said on Tuesday. [...] The situation in Sudan has also exacerbated intercommunal tensions in Abyei, highlighted by recent clashes over cattle rustling that resulted in multiple fatalities among the Misseriya and Nuer communities.
Claim: Abyei is a territory of Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-04-30): As pandemic encroaches on Abyei, tensions rise over disputed territory straddling Sudan, South Sudan Sudan’s efforts to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, are delaying the deployment of fresh United Nations police units in Abyei and the border regions between Sudan and South Sudan, the UN’s peacekeeping chief told the Security Council on Tuesday [...] It is also tasked with, among other things, monitoring and verifying the redeployment of armed forces from the Abyei area, in accordance with the 20 June 2011 Agreement between Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, which led to independence in the south, for the world’s youngest nation.
Claim: Abyei is a territory of Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-12-05): In response to the UN Secretary-General’s request for a joint programme for Abyei (Security Council Resolution 2609 in December 2021) we established an informal coordination structure which brought together our two Resident Coordinator Offices with UN agencies and the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA: the peacekeeping mission in Abyei). Abyei is a politically disputed Administrative Area between Sudan and South Sudan. The political context in which the UN and partners are operating make collaboration extremely challenging, given that mobility across the region and access to certain communities is restricted. [...] Straddled by Sudan and South Sudan, the politically disputed Abyei Administrative Area is no stranger to violence. Claimed by both governments, its undefined political status in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and South Sudan’s referendum for independence in 2011 has created a highly politicized environment where rule of law has been absent beyond customary law and inter-communal conflict is rife. [...] Abyei is also contested on inter-communal grounds. Longstanding territorial disputes, primarily between the agro-pastoralist Misseriya and southern-inhabiting Ngok Dinka communities, frequently erupt into armed attacks, gender-based violence incidents and child abduction. Clashes in February this year displaced over 70,000 people, exacerbating the extant humanitarian crisis.
Claim: Abyei is a territory of Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-07-18): The Abyei area is just over 10,000km² in size and sits between Sudan and South Sudan, almost exactly in the middle of the border. Since South Sudan gained independence in 2011, the two countries have long disputed over who controls the territory. One of the reasons for the dispute is that the region possesses oil in the Deffra fields, making it a lucrative area for either side to control. Furthermore, there is a historic ethnic divide between the nomadic Misseriya tribe and the Ngok Dinka tribe. During the country’s civil war that led to partition, members of the Misseriya community fought in pro-Khartoum militias, while the Ngok Dinka community mainly supported southern rebels. As the two countries split, the initial belief was that the Misseriya would favour remaining as part of Sudan, while the Ngok Dinka would be looking to join the then newly formed South Sudan. [...] After 12 years, Abyei is still a disputed territory. This certainly has not been helped by the recent conflict in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). It was of little surprise to many Sudanese analysts that the RSF and SAF would jostle for position once Al Bashir had departed as head of state. With the power vacuum that this uncertainty has created, gains that had been made in finding a solution have stalled, with fears that they could then reverse.
Claim: Abyei is a territory of Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-12-13): UNMAS in support of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei Since 2011, the status of the Abyei Area has remained a contentious issue between Sudan and South Sudan. Fighting between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army and the Sudan Armed Forces in the Abyei Area escalated and resulted in the total destruction of Abyei town and surrounding villages. Clashes led to the displacement of more than 100,000 people and additional contamination from landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). Tensions in the region continue to date. [...] In resolution 2352 (2017), the Council demands "…that the Government of Sudan and the Government of South Sudan continue to facilitate the deployment of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) to ensure freedom of movement, as well as the identification and clearance of mines in the Abyei Area and the Safe Demilitarised Border Zone (SDBZ).
Claim: Abyei is a territory of Sudan (Abyei, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2013-08-29): - recalled its earlier decision supporting the 21 September 2012 proposal of the AU High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) on the final status of Abyei, which called for a referendum that includes the participation of the Ngok Dinka and other permanent residents of Abyei to determine whether the area belongs to Sudan or South Sudan; - expressed its intention to visit Abyei to demonstrate its support for the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) and the people in the area; and - decided to extend the mandate of AUHIP for an additional six months. [...] Several Council members also remain troubled by the situation in Abyei. The temporary administrative structures—the Abyei Area Council, the Abyei Area Adminstration and the Abyei Police Service—still have not been established, and discussions on the final status of Abyei have made no progress.