# Abyei Paramount Chief Killed (2013)

URL: https://allhistories.com/south-sudan/timeline/2013-abyei-paramount-chief-killed
Location: Abyei, Abyei Area
Themes: main-event

After the Sudanese army withdrew from Abyei in 2012, the Ethiopian UN force UNISFA was the only security presence in the area. The Ngok Dinka, many of whom had returned to their villages, demanded the referendum promised in the CPA, while Misseriya herders continued to move through the area in the dry season, and tensions remained high. The Ngok Dinka paramount chiefs had long played a central role in mediating relations between their community and the Misseriya. On 4 May 2013 Kuol Deng Kuol, the paramount chief of the nine Ngok Dinka chiefdoms, was travelling in a UNISFA convoy near Abyei town when it was attacked by armed Misseriya men. The chief and an Ethiopian peacekeeper were killed, along with several attackers. Thousands of Ngok Dinka fled again towards the South, and the UN Security Council condemned the attack. The killing intensified Ngok Dinka anger at the failure to hold the Abyei referendum and contributed directly to the community's decision to organise its own unofficial referendum in October 2013. Both governments agreed to an investigation, but no one was held accountable. At this point in the timeline (4 May 2013), the President of the Republic of South Sudan was Salva Kiir Mayardit (9 July 2011 – present).

## Why it matters
The assassination of the Ngok Dinka paramount chief deepened the Abyei crisis and hardened demands for a referendum.

Ruler at the Time: [Salva Kiir Mayardit](https://allhistories.com/south-sudan/rulers/salva-kiir-mayardit)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Abyei (town)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abyei_(town))
- [Wikipedia — United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Interim_Security_Force_for_Abyei)
- [UN News](https://news.un.org/en/)
- [Sudan Tribune](https://sudantribune.com/)
- [Wikipedia — Independence and Civil War (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Sudanese_Civil_War)