Cessation of Hostility Agreement between Twic and Abyei Update: 

Dissemination and Violation of the Agreement signed Between the Communities.

By: Morris Kuol Yoll.

April 27, 2022 — On April 4th, 2022, the Twic County and Abyei Special Administration signed the Cessation of Hostility Agreement in Aweil, Northern Bahr El-Ghazal State.   The committee, led by Hussein Abdulbagi Ayi, the Vice President of South Sudan, was given, by the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit, the task of investigating the communal fight that broke out in Aneet town between Twic and Ngok Dinka of Abyei on February 10th, 2022.

The thirteen (13) points of the agreement are aimed at initially ending the conflict between two communities, followed in three months by a final conflict resolution discussion. The agreement instructed the Twic County commissioner, Abyei Chief Administrator, and chiefs from both sides of the conflict, to disseminate the terms of the agreement signed between both communities to curtail the communal fighting that has claimed lives and damaged properties on both sides.

Many people felt relieved when the cessation of hostility agreement was signed and anticipated seeing an end to the hostilities. Unfortunately, these hostilities have not stopped.  Even as the cease-fire agreement was being negotiated in Aweil, random killings occurred, and continue to occur even after the agreement has been signed.  

The commissioner of Twic, along with his six paramount chiefs, have taken the responsibility of disseminating the agreement signed to the people of Twic, with the hope of seeing an end to the conflict after three-months time, when a solution to the conflict will finally be found by the government of South Sudan.

Violations Incurred Since the Signing of the Agreement

From February 10th to 11th 2022, physical confrontations resulted in the loss of 15 lives and 18 wounded, with one child being killed five days ago on the way to Anthony.  Further, on the 3rd of April 2022, one day before signing the cessation of hostilities agreement with Ngok Dinka, Tong Deng Anyuon-Aweng Payam, and Kiir Goch Deng Kiir from Akoc Payam were killed inside Abyei town.  On the 5th of April, Mawien Majok Riak from Turalei Payam was killed in Abyei.  On Friday, April 8th, 2022, one Atem Liai disappeared on the 17th of April.  Also, there was an alleged case of sexual assault from Aneet Market reported, and two people were denied the right to obtain their personal belongings in Abathok.  In Aneet Market, Ador Chol Ador from Pannyok Payam was killed at Akecnhial on the 13th of April.  Tragically, Abyei youth killed a fellow Ngok, mistakenly thinking that he was from Twic. These reported incidents go against the terms of the signed cease-fire agreement. [Deng Tong, the Commissioner of Twic County:10:14 AM, 4/19/2022]

The above statement exemplifies clear violations of the agreement signed on April 4th, 2022, between the two communities in Aweil. This is disheartening, considering the extent of the atrocities that have arisen from the fighting between Twic and Ngok.  It could be even more disastrous should animosity increase between the two communities and escalate into a communal fight resulting from the Aneet Crisis.  

The government of South Sudan must take steps to ensure that such violations do not continue, to prevent the resumption of hostilities within the three-month period during which the final resolution will be negotiated.  The following is a list of violations:

1.     On Sunday, April 3rd, 2022, Tong Deng Anyuon Mawien, a citizen from Aweng Payam, Twic County, was stabbed to death with a knife inside Abyei Town.
2.     On Monday, April 4th, 2022, a truck loaded with bamboo sticks and guns passed over the Wunrok bridge.  The truck was thought to have been loaded only with bamboo and was thus not properly checked by the customs police and security at the bridge checkpoint. After the truck reached Abyei town, however, it was discovered that the truck was in fact loaded with weapons and ammunition at the bottom, the bamboo sticks placed on top to conceal them.   Inside Abyei, the truck that came from Western Bahr El-Ghazal was taken to a secret compound inside Abyei town where an anonymous eyewitness saw the weapons and ammunition being unloaded from the truck after the bamboo sticks were offloaded.  These weapons included PKM, rifles, ammunition, and AK47s. The weapons were said to have been smuggled from Juba to Abyei town.
3.     On Tuesday, April 5th, 2022, Kiir Goch Deng Kiir, a civilian from Akoc Payam, Twic County, was removed from a passenger vehicle inside Abyei Town while on his way to Twic.  He was later reported to have been killed.
4.     On Friday, April 8th, 2022, Mawien Majok Riak from Turalei Payam, Twic County was also killed in his house at Ganga village north of Aneet.  No arrest was made, and those responsible remain at large.
5.     On Wednesday, April 13th, 2022, Ador Chol Ador from Pannyok Payam, Twic County, was restrained with his hands tied behind his back and later shot to death in the presence of many witnesses in Akecnhial village. It is not clear whether his killer(s) is/are arrested.
6.     Also on April 13th, 2022, two people from Twic County were denied the right to obtain their personal belongings in Abathok and Aneet Market. Major General Makal tried to facilitate the access by allowing these individuals to obtain their rightful possessions, but this has proved unsuccessful.
7.     On Friday, April 15th, 2022, a sexual assault was reported in Aneet Market.  The attack took place between Mading-Jokthiang and Aneet market. The victim, Nyamam Ayuel Ayuel, was beaten and subsequently sexually assaulted by two young men from Ngok Dinka.  She sustained injuries to one eye as well as to her neck.  The woman reported that her neck was held by ties until she was rendered unconscious and fell, after which the sexual assault occurred.
8.     Traditional rituals concerning ownership, which include the killing of animals, were conducted in Agok and Aneet Market after the signing of the cease-fire agreement, gravely contravening the spirit of the cease-fire agreement between the two communities.  As the dispute is not yet settled, this is a violation of the agreement
9.     On Monday, April 18th, 2022, the looting of a home (70 bundles of grass and three local wooden beds) was reported from Aweil at the Arak residential area north of Akur village.
10.   A teenage child from Abyei was removed from a passenger vehicle at Madou and later killed, his body thrown into the forest after the offenders requested the mother of the deceased to pay a ransom of 250,000 SSP.  His killers are unknown and are still at large. A suspect, who received a ransom from the directives of the child kidnappers, was arrested inside Abyei town.  His name is Akot, and he is said to be from Aweil.  His confession has not yet been released by the Abyei police since the time of the arrest.
11.   Since the signing of the cease-fire agreement, there have been daily reports of continuous harassment of the innocent citizens of Twic County in Abyei Special Administrative Area, which is yet another form of violation.

Twic County: Summary of the dissemination of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement signed in Aweil Town of Northern Bahr El Ghazal State on April 4th, 2022, between Twic County of Warrap State and Abyei Special Administrative Area.

On Sunday, April 10th, 2022, the Local Government of Twic County started the dissemination of the signed agreement in Aweil.  The Commissioner of Twic County, Deng Koc Tong, and Twic County’s Paramount Chiefs met with the Twic-Mayardit Community in Wau Town in Western Bahr El Ghazal State.  In that meeting, the commissioner and chiefs explained the contents and contexts of the cease-fire agreement to the community.  The members of the Twic community in Wau welcomed and applauded it, declaring their support for the agreement signed between Twic and Ngok Dinka of Abyei.

On Monday, April 11th, 2022, the Commissioner, and chiefs then met with the Twic-Mayardit Community in Kuajok Town, Warrap State, and briefed the Twic Community in Kuac. The Community supported the terms of the peace agreement and signed it. The Twic community in Kuajok—Warrap State, also appealed to the Agok/Aneet Investigation Committee, and as well to the National Government, to expedite a final, amicable, and permanent solution to the conflict between Twic and Ngok Dinka.

The commissioner of Twic County and Paramount chiefs then proceeded to Tonj County to attend the peace conference.  While there, the commissioner of Twic County directed those of the traditional leaders who left Aweil immediately to Twic County to start their own jurisdiction dissemination.  Hence, Chief Juac Akec of Athoony Boma held a meeting with his community at Pethchok in the presence of Maj. Gen. Makal Kuol Deng Kuol, where the Commander joined forces in the area and enlightened his community with regard to the agreement signed between Twic and Ngok Dinka of Abyei.  The other elders and community leaders who returned from Aweil also held various meetings with their local communities to inform them about the signed agreement.

Upon the arrival of the Commissioner of Twic County and chiefs to Twic County, meetings were held with elders and community leaders in Turalei to inform them about the signing of the agreement.  Finally, the Commissioner urged the chiefs, elders, and leaders of the Twic community to go back to their various communities and bring news of the peace agreement that was signed between the people of Twic County and Ngok Dinka of the Abyei Special administration. 

The Commissioner of Twic County, Mr. Deng Tong Koc, has promised to visit all Twic Payams to disseminate the agreement in Aweil, Northern Bahr El-Ghazal State.