Abyei: disputed region between the Sudans
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Abyei residents, who fled to northern Sudan during the war, came back in their droves ahead of a referendum that was supposed to be held in January 2011 to determine if the region should be part of South Sudan or Sudan.
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A Ngok Dinka woman, who spent years in exile in the North, shows her happiness at being reunited with her family and friends in Abyei after returning ahead of a proposed January 2011 referendum on the status of the region, which was ultimately cancelled amid flare-ups of violence.
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The vast majority of the returnees to Abyei ahead of a planned January 2011 referendum were Ngok Dinka, who are allied with Juba.
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Sudan has opposed an African Union proposal to hold a referendum on the status of Abyei in October, saying people from the Misseriya tribe would not be allowed to vote.