Highlights
Sudan update — recent fighting in Abyei; and the threat posed by Gabriel Tang-Ginye
Recent updates from the HSBA include information and analysis on continued fighting in Abyei, and the threat posed by armed groups under the leadership of Gabriel Tang-Ginye.
The Unresolved Crisis in Abyei: The period of 27 February–7 March saw some of the worst fighting in Abyei since 2008. Missiriya militias repeatedly attacked police positions at Todac and Maker Abyior, leaving 149 dead, tens of thousands of civilians fleeing south to escape the fighting, and the villages of Todac, Tajalei, Maker Abyior, and Wungok all partially burnt down. A meeting on 4 March saw both the NCP and the SPLM recommit to the Kadugli security agreements. Just one day later, however, militias attacked Tajalei, a village to the north of Abyei town, calling into question just how effective such security arrangements will be in future.Against a backdrop of the ongoing political stalemate and clashes on the ground, prospects for a peaceful resolution of the Abyei crisis look grim.
For an update on escalating tensions in Abyei, and an overview of fighting and numbers dead from early February-mid March 2011, visit: www.smallarmssurveysudan.org/facts-figures-abyei.php
Emerging Armed Groups in Southern Sudan - Tang-Ginye: Following a breakdown of relations between the Southern guerrilla Gabriel Tang Gatwich Chan (known as 'Tang-Ginye') and the SPLM/A after an October 2010 agreement, the leader was confirmed to have moved with a group of armed men from White Nile state across the North–South border into Upper Nile and down the western bank of the Nile toward Panyikang county. In mid-February 2011, the secretary-general of the SPLM and GoSS minister for peace and CPA implementation, Pagan Amum, told reporters in Juba that in mid-January 2011 Tang-Ginye had returned to the South accompanied by around 300 men armed with firearms and driving trucks with mounted machine guns. Pagan said he had received the weapons and equipment from Khartoum and suggested that he was on the move to Fangak county in north-west Jonglei state, which borders Upper Nile, to join George Athor’s rebellion. As of early March Tang-Ginye and some armed men loyal to him are in the same general area of operations as Athor, but details surrounding his precise position and intentions remain unclear. The SPLA does not consider him to be an SPLA-friendly presence in this contested corner of Jonglei. However, given that George has resolutely denied any backing from Khartoum throughout his rebellion, it is unlikely that he would publicly ally himself with Tang-Ginye, even if the two were cooperating secretly.
For a detailed update on the threat posed by Gabriel Tang-Ginye, see: www.smallarmssurveysudan.org/pdfs/facts-figures/armed-groups/southern-sudan/emerging/HSBA-Armed-Groups-Tang.pdf
The Sudan Human Security Baseline Assessment is a multi-year research project, administered by the Small Arms Survey, which supports violence-reduction initiatives through its research and dissemination of information.
Watch out for additional updates in the near future.
All updates and new pages can be found on the HSBA’s Facts and Figures ‘Latest Updates’ page at: http://www.smallarmssurveysudan.org/facts-figures-latest-updates.php
- More information on the Sudan HSBA website: www.smallarmssurveysudan.org
- Contact Sudan HSBA Project Manager Claire Mc Evoy
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