Abyei Administrative Area

Demographics

2008 NBS Census population: 52,883

2021 NBS PES population estimate*: 133,958

2022 UN OCHA population estimate*: 250,000

2024 UN OCHA population estimate*: 133,958

2024 IPC population estimate: 145,358

2025 UN OCHA population estimate*: 145,358

Ethnic groups: Ngok Dinka, with a significant presence of Misseriya (notably the Mezaghna, Awlad Kamil, and Awlad Umran sections) during seasonal migration in the dry season.

Displacement Figures Q4 2022: 87,282 IDPs and 480 returnees
Displacement Figures February 2025: 22,413 IDPs
FEWSNET Food Security**: 2025 data unavailable; however, as of October 2024, Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and some households are facing Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) in Abyei. February 2023 – Emergency (Phase 4); February to May 2023 – Emergency (Phase 4)

Economy & Livelihoods

Abyei is an Administrative Area claimed by the governments of both South Sudan and Sudan. It borders Northern Bahr el-Ghazal State (Aweil East County) to the southwest, Warrap State (Twic County) to the south, and Unity State (Abiemnhom County) to the southeast. It also borders East Darfur State and West Kordofan State of Sudan to the northwest and north, respectively.

According to FEWSNET (2018), Abyei falls within the western floodplain sorghum and cattle livelihoods zone, and the Ngok Dinka, the principal residents, are agro-pastoralists. The Misseriya, a nomadic pastoralist group from Sudan, migrate annually into and through the region to access South Sudan’s Greater Bahr-el Ghazal and Unity states. While the Misseriya tend to reside in the northern part of the area, the Ngok Dinka primarily inhabit the southern region of Abyei. The FAO/WFP estimated in 2016 that sorghum comprised 95 percent of the main harvest in Warrap State and Abyei (reported together), with groundnut, pearl millet, and maize making up the remainder (FAO/WFP 2016). 65% of Abyei’s households engage in farming, with gross cereal yields reported at 0.75 tonnes per hectare in 2021 (FAO/WFP 2022) and 0.9 tonnes per hectare in 2022 (FAO/WFP 2023).

In February 2023, Abyei was projected to be at emergency (IPC Phase 4) levels of food insecurity, the most severe in Sudan at the time of the projection (FEWSNET 2023a). A November 2023 update shows Abyei remaining at emergency (IPC Phase 4) levels of food insecurity, with multiple localities in Sudan now at the same level, particularly in Darfur (FEWSNET 2023b). The update also projects that from February 2024 to May 2024, Abyei will improve to crisis (IPC Phase 3) levels of food insecurity, though with the caveat that the area would “likely be at least one phase worse without current or planned humanitarian food assistance”.

The region is also home to significant livestock populations, supported by ample pasture and water sources. In addition to cattle, Dinka residents raise goats and sheep, and some keep horses and donkeys. Fishing occurs along the region’s major water points, including the Kiir, Ngol, and Nyamora rivers, and there is also potential for beekeeping. Sorghum from Abyei is exported to regional markets, including in Unity State’s Bentiu and Mayom towns, via porters, cars, and small trucks.

Following the 2009 Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling on the region’s borders, Abyei was left with only one oil field. The Diffra field lies towards the region’s north, and is a relatively small field within the context of the oil-rich region (Sansculotte-Greenidge 2011). Nonetheless, Sudan has continued to draw revenue from the field in recent years, due to a 2012 agreement to share the proceeds with South Sudan. The establishment of oil exploration in the area has reportedly both created jobs and led to problems such as pollution and reduction of pastoral and agricultural land.

Infrastructure & Services

South Sudan’s Abyei headquarters is located in Abyei town. The boundaries of Abyei have been contested since South Sudan became independent in 2011, and the area lacks a formally recognized governance system. Due to limited government oversight, the development of infrastructure and key services, including healthcare and education, has been constrained. Despite this, the Amiet market has become an increasingly important economic hub between Sudan and South Sudan, though it has also become a locus of tension among traders from different communities. The area also serves as a key transit point for those traveling between South Sudan and Sudan.

According to OCHA’s 2025 Humanitarian Needs Overview, an estimated 100,728 people in need in Abyei Region County represent approximately 69% of the county’s total population reported by OCHA for 2025. For comparison, in 2024, OCHA reported that an estimated 100,873 people were in need in Abyei Region County, of whom 62,465 were non-displaced, with the remainder comprising IDPs and returnees. According to OCHA’s Humanitarian Needs Overview for 2023, there were nearly 212,000 people with humanitarian needs in Abyei, representing nearly 85% of the estimated population reported in the HNO that year.

In February and April 2021, the Amiet market experienced large fires that destroyed over 800 shops combined. The tightly spaced stalls and concentration of flammable materials made further fires likely. The market also experienced a shortage of goods as a result of the Sudanese unrest following the 25 October 2021 coup, though cargo and goods from Khartoum had resumed deliveries to the Amiet market within three weeks (Radio Tamazuj 2021). More recently, prices of essential commodities have soared in Abyei following the outbreak of conflict between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023 (Radio Tamazuj 2023a). As of mid-July 2023, nearly 6,000 people fleeing the Sudanese conflict have registered in Abyei since the conflict began (UNHCR/ION 2023).

While some aid organizations operate in the area, they are responsible for either Sudan or South Sudan, without maintaining a presence across the entire area. The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) is responsible for protecting UN property and staff, protecting civilians, supporting law enforcement capacities, facilitating the delivery of aid, and providing assistance in de-mining the area (UNISFA 2020). Local resources face additional pressure due to the ongoing conflict in South Sudan, including IDPs fleeing to Abyei from neighbouring states such as Warrap and Unity.

Abyei is home to twenty-nine (29) primary schools and four (4) secondary schools, located in the towns of Abyei and Agok. There are currently no Early Childhood Development centers in the area. An Intersectoral Needs Assessment (ISNA) conducted by IOM’s DTM team from August to October 2024 found that 42% of school-aged children in Abyei did not attend school during the 2023-2024 school year. Only sixty-three respondents reported nearby school facilities. Among children who attended some schooling, 25% reported that their education had been disrupted by natural hazards, teacher absence, lack of school facilities, school affordability, or a combination of these factors (DTM 2025).

In December 2024, the WHO reported that the Abyei Administrative Area County had thirty-two (32) health facilities, of which seventeen (17) were functional. These functional facilities comprised twelve (12) primary health care units (PHCUs), three (3) primary health care centers (PHCCs), and two (2) hospitals. This meant there were approximately 1.24 PHCUs per 15,000 people and 1.03 PHCCs per 50,000 people in the county at that time. Abyei Civil Hospital and Amenth Bek Hospital were both reported to have moderate functionality.

Conflict Dynamics

Abyei has been part of a long-standing dispute over control of the area, dating back to 1905, when nine Ngok Dinka chiefdoms in the Abyei area were administered as part of Kordofan in northern Sudan rather than southern Sudan (Sansculotte-Greenidge 2011). Violence affected the area during the first Sudanese civil war (1955-1972), as relations between the Ngok Dinka and the Misseriya leadership deteriorated (Keen 1994/2008, pp. 40-41). Tensions persisted throughout the 1970s, and the disempowerment of customary authorities – alongside the introduction of mechanized farming – had negative repercussions for pastoralist communities on the northern Sudanese side of the transition zone that runs along the north-south border. By 1977, insecurity intensified following raids by parts of the Misseriya community against Ngok Dinka settlements, prompting the eventual formation of the Abyei Liberation Front, an opposition group that later merged with the SPLM/A (de Waal 1993; Johnson 2010, pp. 34-35).

The majority of Ngok Dinka sided with the SPLM/A during the second Sudanese civil war (1983-2005), and the area remained affected by serious raiding at various stages of the conflict. The status of Abyei was a key sticking point during the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) negotiations. The CPA included an agreed ‘1/1/56’ boundary line separating Sudan and South Sudan – intended to reflect boundaries at the time of Sudan’s independence from the Anglo-Egyptian condominium – which left Ngok Dinka territory north of the line. In response, the Abyei Protocol was agreed, designating Abyei as a special administrative area and setting out a process for resolving the dispute. The CPA stipulated that a referendum on the area’s status was originally to take place alongside South Sudan’s self-determination referendum in January 2011, but the referendum in Abyei did not take place. Conflict returned to Abyei in May 2011, when Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) personnel seized Abyei town following South Sudan’s vote for independence, and ultimately withdrew from the disputed area a year later (Craze 2014). In June 2011, the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) was established, replacing the former United Nations Mission in Sudan, which had been responsible for peacekeeping duties in the area.

Abyei has remained a separate administrative region, with central and southern areas de facto governed by a Ngok Dinka administration and northern areas controlled by Sudanese forces (Craze 2023, p. 2). A referendum proposed by the African Union and planned for 2013 was postponed due to disagreement over who was eligible to vote as residents of the administrative area. Sudan’s government argued that the Misseriya should be counted as residents and be able to vote, while South Sudan’s government argued they were seasonal migrants and thus not eligible (Small Arms Survey 2015). An informal referendum was organised and held by the Abyei Referendum High Committee in October 2013 amid local frustration with delays, despite a boycott by Misseriya groups and warnings from the UN and AU (Craze 2014). Although a majority of voters supported Abyei becoming part of South Sudan, neither the Sudanese nor the South Sudanese governments recognized the results of this referendum.

Abyei remains contested by both the Ngok Dinka and the Misseriya, leading to longstanding tensions over cattle movements, local governance disputes over the administration of Abyei, and diplomatic disputes between the governments of Sudan and South Sudan (Small Arms Survey 2015). The presence of the Diffra oil field in the area has also contributed to the lack of a resolution to the dispute. Conflict – including cattle raids – between migrating Misseriya and Dinka historically occurred toward the end of the dry season, as the Misseriya returned north (migration began around November and ended around May). Conflict had previously been addressed through traditional dispute-resolution mechanisms at seasonal meetings between Misseriya and Ngok Dinka leaders. These agreements and routes have, in some cases, been assured by UNISFA. However, cattle-related conflict has been exacerbated by political tensions in recent years, reducing the effectiveness of these traditional measures. The Small Arms Survey concludes that Misseriya raiding in recent years has extended beyond traditional clashes along migratory routes and has taken on a political dimension related to population and territorial control that UNISFA is currently unable to prevent (Small Arms Survey 2015). Prior to the informal 2013 referendum, relations had further deteriorated between the communities following the assassination of the Ngok Dinka paramount chief in May 2013.

In January 2020, fighting – allegedly between the Misseriya and the Ngok Dinka – occurred in Kolom village, north of Abyei town. The violence resulted in the deaths of at least 33 people, with many civilians injured, homes burned, and 4,800 people displaced to Abyei town (OCHA 2020). Further conflict was reported in early 2021, and in March 2022 clashes reportedly killed 27 people near Abyei town (Radio Tamazuj 2022). Intra-Misseriya clashes have also been reported in Abyei and adjoining areas of Sudan’s West Kordofan State, including serious fighting in September 2016 that reportedly killed 43 people (SUDO UK 2016, p.12).

Historically, the Ngok Dinka have had generally good relations with the Twic Dinka community in Warrap State’s Twic County, with high levels of intermarriage and shared living spaces. The Twic Dinka community has also hosted displaced Ngok Dinka fleeing insecurity in Abyei. However, serious conflict broke out along the Twic-Abyei border in early 2022. Prior to the conflict, disputes (often linked to rivalries during the second Sudanese civil war or the Comprehensive Peace Agreement era) among some elites from both areas had been reported but were reportedly resolved (Deng 2017).

Intensifying political rhetoric over a new claim to territory under the Ngok administration’s control escalated into violent conflict in February 2022. Recurrent attacks and arson displaced approximately 70,000 people from the newly disputed area around Agok and Aneet, leading to the suspension of most NGO services in the area. Approximately 30,000 individuals were displaced north into Abyei town (mostly Ngok, but also Nuer and other Dinka sub-sections), while around 30,000 moved south into Twic County (mostly from the Twic Dinka), and others moved across to Aweil (including Malual Dinka returnees) and smaller numbers to Wau.

Violence persisted between February and October 2022, killing and wounding significant numbers of people from both communities. Various interventions by senior elites in 2022 and early 2023 did not stop the violence, which continued into early 2023 and escalated again in autumn 2023 (Radio Tamazuj 2023). The rise in incidents coincides with the return of Ngok Dinka to disputed areas south of the Kiir River, from which they were displaced during the conflict. Serious cross-border attacks were reported in late November 2023 (Radio Tamazuj 2023c), and the deputy chief administrator of Abyei was killed in a road ambush at the end of December (Radio Tamazuj 2024). Serious clashes were also reported in various parts of the Abyei area in early 2024 (Eye Radio 2024; The Radio Community 2024). The SSPDF has been increasingly drawn into the conflict, with military personnel reportedly targeted by Ngok Dinka militia and Twic Dinka youth restricting SSPDF movement (Craze 2023, p.4; Eye Radio 2023). Security forces from both Sudan and South Sudan are reported to be present in the Abyei area, according to the UN Security Council (2023, p.2), though there is no indication that Sudanese forces are involved in the Ngok-Twic Dinka conflict.

Behind the conflict are claims advanced by some Twic community representatives that all areas south of the Kiir River (a.k.a. Bahr al-Arab) along the disputed border with Sudan are part of Twic County, which includes Agok town and the Aneet area. While this is framed as a land dispute, it is more likely a conflict over economic resources (Craze 2023). Agok became a significant humanitarian hub in recent years, with the sizeable hospital employing hundreds of people and a dozen other NGOs based in the town. Moreover, a significant border market was established in Aneet, on Abyei’s southernmost border. Taxation from both Agok and Aneet has been paid to the Abyei administration, with additional taxes collected at checkpoints approaching the area. Moreover, organizations based in Agok would solicit services from Ngok business and landowners, further increasing the area’s value. Additionally, Ngok stakeholders claim that land south of the Kiir River is more fertile and receptive to cultivation than land in Twic County, although these claims have not been validated. The Twic community is made up of various sub-sections: within the Ngok-Twic conflict, the Ajak-Kuac Twic community has been one of the most involved groups, and it is this sub-section that specifically claims the area of Agok and views it as part of Twic County’s Ajak-Kuac Payam.

Administration & Logistics 

Payams: Abyei (South Sudan AAA Headquarters), Alel, Ameth-agouk, Rumameer, Mijak

UN OCHA 2021 map for the Abyei area: https://reliefweb.int/map/sudan/sudan-abyei-area-reference-map-may-2021

Roads:

• There is a primary road running from Abyei town to Abiemnhom in the neighboring Ruweng Administrative Area. This road was considered impassable during both the rainy season of 2024 and the dry season of 2025.
• Another primary road runs from Abyei to the border town of Agok and then to Warrap State’s Wunrok, Gogrial, and Kuajok (also the state capital), as well as to Wau in Western Bahr-el Ghazal. Northern sections of the road (between Abyei and Wunrok) were deemed “passable with difficulties” during the rainy season of 2025 but passable in the dry season of 2025. The remainder of the road south to Wau was deemed passable throughout the year.
• A primary road also runs northwest out of Abyei town into Sudan, while two secondary roads run parallel to the north. Road conditions within Abyei are reportedly extremely poor during the rainy season, and there is no information on the conditions of these roads.

UNHAS-recognised Heli and Fixed-Wing Airplane Airstrips: Agok

References

Craze, J. (2023). Attacked from Both Sides: Abyei’s Existential Dilemma. Small Arms Survey/HSBA. Retrieved 13 July 2023.

DTM. (2025). Intersectoral Needs Assessment (ISNA) August – October 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2025.

Eye Radio. (2023). 5 killed as bandits raid SSPDF base in northern Warrap. Retrieved 24 October 2023.

Eye Radio. (2024). 53 killed, 64 wounded in multiple attacks on Abyei: Official. Retrieved 29 January 2024.

FAO/WFP. (2016). Special Report: FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission to South Suan. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

FEWSNET. (2018). Livelihoods Zone Map and Descriptions for the Republic of South Sudan (Updated). Retrieved 10 July 2023.

FEWSNET. (2023a). Conflict and high food prices drive high food assistance needs in 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

FEWSNET. (2023b). Conflict and below-average harvests sustain high needs during the harvest season. Retrieved 3 January 2024.

Johnson, D.H. (2010). When Boundaries Become Borders: The impact of boundary-making in Southern Sudan’s frontier zones. Rift Valley Institute. Retrieved 28 February 2024.

Keen, D. (1994/2008). The Benefits of Famine: A Political Economy of Famine & Relief in Southwestern Sudan 1983-2005). Oxford: James Currey.

OCHA. (2020). Situation Report, 27 Jan 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

Radio Tamazuj. (2021). Goods start arriving Abyei after Sudanese coup. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

Radio Tamazuj. (2022). Over 20 killed in fresh Abyei attacks. Retrieved 4 January 2024.

Radio Tamazuj. (2023a). Abyei dwellers decry soaring commodity prices. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

Radio Tamazuj. (2023b). 11 killed, 14 wounded in attack on Abyei’s Nyinkuec Market. Retrieved 24 October 2023.

Radio Tamazuj. (2023c). UN urges government to probe killing of 75 civilians in Abyei. Retrieved 4 January 2024.

Radio Tamazuj. (2024). Juba: MPs want inquest into Abyei administrator’s killing. Retrieved 4 January 2024.

Sansculotte-Greenidge, K. (2011). Abyei: From a Shared Past to a Contested Future. ACCORD. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

Small Arms Survey (2015). Updates on Abyei. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

SUDO UK. (2016). Human Rights Abuses in Sudan over the Month of September 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2024.

The Radio Community. (2024). Over 2,000 people seek UN protection in Abyei. Retrieved 6 February 2024.

UNHCR/IOM. (2023). Population movement from Sudan to South Sudan. Interactive dashboard last accessed 18 July 2023.

UNISFA. (2020). Demilitarizing and monitoring peace in the disputed Abyei area. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

UNSC, UN Security Council. (2023). Situation in Abyei: Report of the Secretary-General, S/2023/777. Retrieved 4 January 2024.

de Waal, A. (1993). ‘Some Comments on Militias in the Contemporary Sudan’ in Daly, M. and Sikainga, A.A. (eds.) Civil War in the Sudan, pp.144–51. London: British Academic Press.

Reports on Abyei

Craze, J. (2011). Creating Facts on the Ground: Conflict Dynamics in Abyei. Small Arms Survey/HSBA. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

Craze, J. (2014). Contested Borders: Continuing Tensions over the Sudan-South Sudan Border. Small Arms Survey/HSBA. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

Craze, J. (2023). Attacked from Both Sides: Abyei’s Existential Dilemma. Retrieved 13 July 2023.

Deng, F. (2017). Abyei Dialogue: Bottom Up and Top Down. The Sudd Institute. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

Deng, F. (2022). A Personal Perspective on the Ngok-Twic Conflict in Abyei. The Sudd Institute. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

Deng, L. (2009). ‘Social Capital and Civil War: The Dinka Communities in Sudan’s Civil War’, African Affairs 109 (435), 231-50. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

Deng, L. (2014). ‘Political violence and the emergence of the dispute over Abyei, Sudan,1950–1983’, Journal of Eastern African Studies 8 (4), 573–589. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

FAO. (2017). Linking community-based animal health services with natural resource conflict mitigation in the Abyei Administrative Area. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

Furukawa, M. (2019). Social Capital Across Agro-Pastoral Assets in the Abyei Area with Reference to Amiet “Peace” Market. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

Gebrekidan, G.Z. (2021). Tribal Conflict over Natural Resources on the Sudan – South Sudan Border: The Case of the Abyei Territory. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

Jansen, B.J. (2018). Humanitarianism as buffer: displacement, aid and the politics of belonging in Abyei, Sudan/South Sudan. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

Johnson, D. (2008). ‘Why Abyei Matters: The Breaking Point of Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement?’ African Affairs, 107 (426), 1–19. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

Johnson, D. (2012). ‘The Heglig oil dispute between Sudan and South Sudan’, Journal of Eastern African Studies 6(3), 561-569. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

Kuol, D. (2020). Grains As Life: The value of sorghum and millet amongst the Abyei Dinka. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

Lino, M.O. (2020). Local Peace Agreement in Abyei: Achievements, Challenges and Opportunities. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

Small Arms Survey (2015). Updates on Abyei. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

* Note: The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Population Estimation Survey (PES), published in April 2023, is based on data collected in May-June 2021. It uses a different method from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Population Working Group (PWG) figures, which combine 2008 census data with population movement data up to 2022. The large discrepancies are primarily attributable to these different methods rather than changes in actual population numbers over time and have been disputed by some civil society actors and analysts. Although the later PWG figures were produced more recently for the HNO 2023, at the request of the Government of South Sudan, the data and method used by the PES are being used as the basis for the Common Operational Dataset (COD) for the UN system for the HNO 2024 and likely beyond. For further details on this and other sources used in the county profiles, see the accompanying Methodological Note.

** Note: The Abyei Administrative Area is not included in the IPC country analysis for South Sudan mentioned in the Methodological Note, but is included in the FEWSNET analysis reported in February 2023 here and in November 2023 here. The FEWSNET figures – which are considered ‘IPC-compatible’ – are therefore presented in this profile instead. FEWSNET was taken offline on January 20, 2025, in response to a USAID stop-work order.