Abyei returnees face shortage of basic services
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- South Sudan
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- Miraya FM
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(October 7, 2013) - A team from the Warrap State government that paid a visit to Abyei to assess the living conditions of the people in the area has said “the situation is bad.”
In recent weeks, Abyei has seen an influx of people returning home to take part in a referendum proposed for October to determine the status of the disputed region.
“The situation is very bad, there are no shelters for the returnees, and also there are problems of health facilities, no drugs,” said Nyanaguek Kuol Marieng, the state’s information minister and head of the delegation.
“The hard thing we have is the lack of water because of population pressure, and the hand pumps at Aniet south of Abyei are not enough now due to the population pressure,” she said.
Sudan and South Sudan are yet to agree on who is an eligible voter.
Sudan wants the Arab Misseriya nomads that graze their cattle in the northern part of the region in the dry season to take part in the vote.
On the other hand, South Sudan wants only the nine Dinka Ngok chiefdoms, which were transferred to northern Sudan in 1905, to determine the status of the region.