Government has not abandoned Abyei, says Gen Pieng Deng
Author: Koang Pal Chang | Published: 38 minutes ago
Minister Gen. Pieng Deng Kuol, Deputy Chairperson of the High-Level Committee on Abyei’s Final Status, speaks during the Abyei Youth Association Symposium on Abyei File and Final Status in Juba, Saturday, August 29, 2026. | Photo: Courtesy of Abyei Youth Association
The Minister of East African Community Affairs, General Pieng Deng Kuol, has assured the people of Abyei that the government remains committed to determining the final status of the contested region, urging residents to reject claims that they are not South Sudanese.
Speaking on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at the Abyei Youth Association Symposium in Juba, Gen. Pieng—who also serves as the Deputy Chairperson of the High-Level Committee on Abyei’s Final Status—stated that the formation of the committee demonstrates the government’s resolve to address the dispute with Sudan.
He revealed that President Salva Kiir previously wrote to the African Union requesting that the continental body take the lead in resolving the impasse, acknowledging that leadership in Juba and Khartoum could not finalize the matter alone.
“The government of South Sudan is interested in the final status of the Abyei region,” Gen. Pieng said. “If it were not, it would not have formed the High Committee, composed of representatives from across South Sudan, not just Abyei. Before the war broke out in Sudan, both sides were close to a solution. President Salva Kiir wrote to the African Union stating that neither he nor the Sudanese leadership could resolve the Abyei problem alone, and that the African Union should resolve the issue.”
Addressing criticisms of the regional governance structure, the minister defended the Abyei Special Administrative Area, noting that it was established by presidential decree and remains part of the country’s legal framework.
“Who can challenge the administration of the Abyei region, which was established by presidential decree?” Gen. Pieng questioned. “Who can challenge the president’s constitutional decisions except someone ignorant of the law? Such behavior is unacceptable.”
Furthermore, Gen. Pieng addressed historical narratives surrounding how Abyei became administratively linked to northern Sudan during the colonial era, rejecting attempts to lay blame on single historical figures.
“We are often accused that my father, Paramount Chief Deng Majok, made Abyei part of northern Sudan,” he noted. “My question is: who made the entire South part of Sudan? In 1947 at the Juba Conference, many southern politicians and chiefs decided to remain part of a unified Sudan. Why blame one person and ignore the broader historical decisions?”
The oil-rich region of Abyei remains contested between South Sudan and Sudan under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), with its final sovereignty unresolved despite ongoing diplomatic efforts.