Voting For the Rights to Abyei’s Oil
Abyei, an oil-rich region located on the border between Sudan and South Sudan has been a region of unresolved conflict. Last year when South Sudan was voting to become an independent county, the voting for the right to oil was supposed to take place.The stalling of the vote has left people in a year full of frustration and uncertainty, but it’s finally time to decide.
The residents of the Abyei area have been voting these past two week on who should have legal rights over the oil. On the same day of the voting, people of Abyei will vote on whether or not to be a part of North or South Sudan, since it’s located on the border. The residents of the Abyei area want peace and security, but because of the ongoing conflict over oil and border issues, violence has become commonplace. The fate of Abyei is one of the most sensitive issues of South Sudan since it became an independent state in 2011.
Photos by pbs.org and gurtong.net
