Some young advocates from the disputed area of Abyei have decided to establish a legal aid office in Abyei so that they can offer legal services to the citizens.
Sitting in his office measured 5 by 5 meters, made up of makeshifts from wood, bamboo and grass in Mulmul market in Abyei, Kuol Woor Alei say he is happy to be in his own land and giving legal services to his own people.
Woor is a graduate of college of law from the University of Juba in 2014. He says legal awareness among Abyei residents has not been there and as such many of them have not been able to know their rights. He believes their presence in the area for last one year has helped the community know their rights.
‘I have been away from my area for studies and it is important for me to come back to the area, and offer some service to the community through what I have acquired outside. That is why, he adds, I decided to come back and open this office in Abyei and offer legal service and contribute to the development of the area’ he said
Woor says for the last one year more than 50 clients have sought legal consultations in their office. He says they continue providing legal awareness to the citizens in their office or in any social gathering and people are now getting to know their rights.
‘There are some of them who do not know the role of a lawyer and we are explaining that to them. We also try to tell them steps of how to file cases in the court. Educate them on how to use legal means than to take the law into their hands. At least, some progress is there’ Woor explains.
Another advocate, Lual Kuol Mayen jointly works with Woor in the same office. Mayen hopes their presence in the area will reduce revenge attacks that has been happening among communities for years.
‘Any country or a society that respects the law and order, it will be regarded as developed society. If we all respect the law, that means we will be respecting rights of others. And there will be less troubles among communities. As such, people will focus on other development projects’, Mayen stresses.
A civil court was established in Abyei town in 2015 by the area civil administration, to help resolved disputes among community in the area. Some residents say they no longer travel to Turalei, Kwajok nor Wau for court cases which use to cost a lot of money.
Abyei resident, Mawien Ujang Mapher, admits that he was not aware of the importance of lawyers in court procedures till when one of them helped him resolved the case between him and his friend over the land ownership.
Ujang suggests that the civil administrative should also established prison service in the area to help keeps criminals.
‘When a criminal is tried and charged in a court of law, he or she is supposed to be taken to the prison. This is what we don’t have it here Abyei. Ujang said The work of the police is not to keep criminals but only to arrest and take them to court of law. But after that prison service is to take over’
Kuol Alor Kuol, the head of civil administration of Abyei area says for the time being criminals convicted in Abyei’s civil court are temporarily taken to Wau Central Prison. He complains that many services are not been provided in the area due to unresolved status of the area.
He hopes that the South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir Mayardit and his Sudanese counterpart, Omer Al-Bashir could speed up negotiations over the status of the area and make a final decision so citizens can get proper services.
‘There is a need for the final status of Abyei to be determined because people of Abyei have been suffering since almost eleven years now without services, without health, education services and other necessary services’
Alor says the current population in Abyei estimates between 120 to 160 thousands and such; what he terms as ‘huge population’ cannot exist and live without proper services.