Tim Freccia

Amid the chaos of fleeing Abyei as violence erupted late last month, family members often got separated from each other.  In the town of Turalei, at least a two-days’ walk south, the Enough Project’s Tim Freccia met Kuol Monyjei, who was facing the frightening uncertainty of not being able to reach his wife, mother, and two-year-old son.

Tens of thousands of civilians have fled Abyei and its surrounding areas as a result of the Sudanese army’s seizure and occupation of the disputed border region. Since the incursion, widespread looting and destruction of Abyei town under the army’s watch has been documented and humanitarian agencies continue to face challenges accessing the newly displaced communities.

The Enough Project has released a video statement from an eye witness of the razing of Maker Abior village who said he saw combatants wearing SAF uniforms as well as other armed actors who appeared to be Janjaweed.

“Arabs attacked the village. Some were wearing SAF uniforms. Some were dressed like Janjaweed,” said Kuol Alor Kuol, a 73-year-old eye witness and resident of the village. “We will stay here because it is our land. This is our ancestors’ land.”
 

In the aftermath of a wave of violence in Abyei that left over 100 dead and saw the systematic burning of three villages just north of Abyei town, tens of thousands of civilians have fled while residents still in town are angry, disillusioned, and anxious, according to on-the-ground reporting and visuals from Enough photographer Tim Freccia. Freccia, who has been based in Abyei since violence broke out early last week, reports that the situation in the contested and highly-volatile border region today is relatively quiet, if fraught with tension.