SPLM – USA National Secretariat Leadership Condemns in the Strongest Terms the Assassination of the Abyei Paramount Chief, Kuol Deng Kuol
May 7, 2013 (SSNA) — The SPLM –USA National Secretariat learned with shock and disbelief the assassination of the Abyei area Paramount Chief, Kuol Deng Kuol on Saturday May 4, 2013 at around 6:00 PM local time. The assassination carried out by armed members of the Misseriya nomadic tribe with an apparent order and planning from above, vis-à-vis government of Sudan, has not only made a mockery of the talks held earlier in the day but has negated any gain or trust that may have been built between the two former foes of north and South Sudan during peace talks and the visit of the North Sudanese President, Omar Bashir last month.
To this end, the leadership of the SPLM-USA National Secretariat has, in the strongest terms, condemns this heinous crime perpetrated against an unarmed leader whose only goal is to achieve peace for his people and secure his land. Killed along with the chief was a United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) Ethiopian peacekeeper. The chief was ambushed on his way back home after attending a meeting with Edward Lino, the Co-Chair of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC) representing South Sudan on one hand and the Sudanese delegation on the other.
While the people of South Sudan mourn the death of the chief, the international community should be reminded by the killing of the UNISFA peacekeeper that this was not only an attack on South Sudan and the people of Abyei but on the UN and the international community. While the UN in particular and the international community at large have been reluctant to act in the past crimes and violations by the Sudanese government, we hope they don’t take this incident lightly and treat it as business as usual since this is one of the serious violations of UNSC Resolution 2046.
Finally, we want to extend our heartfelt condolences to the people of South Sudan, the Abyei community, UN and the Ethiopian government for the losses of the chief and the UNISFA Ethiopian peacekeeper.