SUMMARY

In the volatile area of Abyei the Ngok Dinka communities are involved in the most politicized communal conflict in Sudan. Traditionally, this is a region where pastoralists from the Misseriya ethnic group, living most of the year in Kordofan (Sudan), travel southward in the dry season to find water for their cattle. Controversies arise often among local Ngok Dinka claim an historic right to migrate through this region, but the Ngok Dinkas relinquish their cache of weapons before entering Abyei. This demand has not been well received by the Misseriya as they are afraid to get their cattle stolen.

Traditionally, the regime in Khartoum has been allied to the Misseriya whilst the SPLM/A (governing party in South Sudan) has been allied to the Ngok Dinka. This gives this non-state conflict a clear political dimension as problems between the two communities also lead to tensions between Juba and Khartoum. Likewise, problems between Juba and Khartoum sometimes lead to problems between the two communities as they occasionally are manipulated by politicians based on the two power centers. In fact, such external political involvement decreases the maneuvering room for traditional conflict-resolution mechanisms that use to solve conflicts between the communities.

The non-state conflict between the Misseriya and the Ngok Dinka was first included in the UCDP data in 2011. In January of that year, the two tribes clashed in the Abyei area for several days and resulted in at least 60 battle-related deaths.