Protest against hiring foreign workers in Abyei

Residents of the Abyei region have protested against the hiring of foreign labor by companies working for the UN Security Force.

Chol Deng, the Chairman of the Supreme Committee for the Abyei Referendum, told Radio Dabanga that earlier this month, Mekem company brought workers from Kenya to the region. The move was rejected by the local community, and community members protested in front of the buildings of the UN mission on Sunday.

Abyei is a disputed region between Sudan and South Sudan. The United Nations extended the mandate of its Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) in November 2016.

Deng and the local community have claimed that certain laws apply that give priority for unskilled workers from the local community, to work in organisations in their area.

Representatives of the community requested UNISFA and other organisations via Radio Dabanga to employ people from Abyei in all the posts which they can carry out.