Award in the Arbitration regarding the delimitation of the Abyei Area between the Government of

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REPORTS OF INTERNATIONAL

ARBITRAL AWARDS

RECUEIL DES SENTENCES

ARBITRALES

Award in the Arbitration regarding the delimitation of the Abyei Area
between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation
Movement/Army, Award of 22 July 2009 -- Sentence arbitrale relative à la
délimitation de la région de l’Abyei entre le Gouvernement du Soudan et
le Mouvement/Armée populaire de libération du Soudan, Sentence du 22
juillet 2009
22 July 2009 - 22 juillet 2009
VOLUME XXX pp.145-416
NATIONS UNIES - UNITED NATIONS
Copyright (c) 2012
ParT ii
Award in the Arbitration regarding the
delimitation of the Abyei Area between
the Government of Sudan and the
Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army
Award of 22 July 2009
ParTie ii
Sentence arbitrale relative à la
délimitation de la région de l’Abyei entre
le Gouvernement du Soudan et
le Mouvement/Armée populaire de libération du Soudan
Sentence du 22 juillet 2009

Award in the arbitration regarding the
delimitation of the Abyei Area between
the Government of Sudan and the
Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army
Sentence arbitrale relative à la
délimitation de la région de l’Abyei entre
le Gouvernement du Soudan et
le Mouvement/Armée populaire de libération du Soudan
Review of validity of Boundary Commission delimitation of Abyei Area—de
novo review only permissible once “excess of mandate” established—principles of
review applicable in public international law and national legal systems relevant as
“general principles of law and practices”—established case law regarding excès de pou-
voir of arbitral tribunals may mutatis mutandis inform the interpretation of “excess of
mandate”—scope of review in international proceedings leading to the annulment of
a prior decision generally very limited—reviewing body’s task cannot take the form
of an appeal with respect to the “correctness” of the findings of the original deci-
sion-maker when the reviewing body’s methodology differs from that of the original
decision-maker—partial annulment within the authority of a court or tribunal seized
with a review function—contracting out of the general principle of law allowing for
severability and partial nullity to be evidenced by a clear and unequivocal expression
of intention of the Parties—Tribunal’s scope of review limited to decisions made ultra
petita, and not including putative violations of procedural rights—procedural irregu-
larity alone cannot invalidate a decision; a significant injustice must have also occurred
as a result of the irregularity .
Standard of review for interpretation and implementation of Boundary Com-
mission’s mandate—fundamental misinterpretation of Boundary Commission’s com-
petence qualifies as an “excess of mandate”—reasonableness standard applies both to
Boundary Commission’s interpretation and implementation of mandate—an instance
of review must defer to the interpretation of a jurisdictional instrument by the deci-
sion-making body designated under that instrument (Kompetenz-Kompetenz) as long
as that interpretation is reasonable—review for “substantive errors” outside the Tribu-
nal’s competence—lack of any reasons or obviously contradictory or frivolous reasons
amounts to an “excess of mandate” .
Boundary Commission did not exceed its mandate with respect to the delimita-
tion of the northern and southern boundaries of the Abyei Area—reasonable to adopt a
primarily tribal (as opposed to territorial) approach to delimitation—Boundary Com-
mission’s definition of shared-rights area as well as its determination of western and
eastern boundary lines of the Abyei Area, unsupported by sufficient reasons—delimi-
tation by Tribunal of western and eastern boundaries of the Abyei Area by resort to
lines of longitude—transfer of sovereignty in the context of boundary delimitation did
not extinguish traditional rights to the use of land (or maritime resources) .
government of sudan/
148 sudan people’s liberation movement/army
Examen de la validité de la délimitation de la région de l’Abyei par la Commission
de délimitation des frontières—réexamen de novo autorisé uniquement dès lors qu’un
« excès de mandat » est établi—principes applicables au réexamen issus du droit inter-
national public et des systèmes juridiques nationaux pertinents en tant que « principes
généraux de droit et usages »—jurisprudence en vigueur relative à l’excès de pouvoir
du tribunal arbitral pouvant servir mutatis mutandis à l’interprétation de l’expression
« excès de mandat »—étendue du réexamen dans le cadre de procédures internation-
ales d’annulation d’une décision antérieure étant généralement très limitée—tâche de
l’organe de réexamen ne pouvant constituer un appel quant à la « justesse » des conclu-
sions de l’organe décisionnel initial lorsque la méthodologie de l’organe de réexamen
diffère de celle de l’organe décisionnel initial—annulation partielle relevant de la com-
pétence de la cour ou du tribunal investi d’une fonction de réexamen—renonciation
au principe général de droit autorisant la divisibilité et l’annulation partielle devant
ressortir de l’expression claire et non équivoque de l’intention des Parties—étendue du
réexamen par le Tribunal étant limitée aux décisions prises ultra petita, et n’incluant
pas les violations putatives de droits procéduraux—irrégularité procédurale ne pou-
vant à elle seule invalider une décision ; irrégularité devant également avoir causé une
injustice significative .
Critères applicables au réexamen de l’interprétation et de la mise en œuvre du
mandat d’une Commission de délimitation des frontières—erreur fondamentale
d’interprétation de la compétence d’une Commission de délimitation des frontières
constituant un « excès de mandat »—critère du caractère raisonnable applicable à la
fois à l’interprétation et à la mise en œuvre par la Commission de délimitation des
frontières de son mandat—instance de réexamen devant déférer l’interprétation d’un
instrument régissant la compétence à l’organe décisionnel désigné par cet instrument
(Kompetenz-Kompetenz), pour autant que cette interprétation est raisonnable—exa-
men d’« erreurs substantielles » ne relevant pas de la compétence du Tribunal—absence
de motivation ou motifs manifestement contradictoires ou futiles équivalant à un
« excès de mandat » .
Commission de délimitation des frontières n’ayant pas excédé son mandat en ce
qui concerne la délimitation des frontières septentrionale et méridionale de la région
de l’Abyei—caractère raisonnable de l’adoption d’une approche essentiellement trib-
ale (et non territoriale)—absence de motifs suffisants au soutien de la définition de
territoire sous droits partagés et de la détermination des frontières occidentale et ori-
entale de la région de l’Abyei adoptées par la Commission de délimitation des fron-
tières—délimitation par le Tribunal des frontières occidentale et orientale de la région
de l’Abyei en ayant recours à des lignes longitudinales—transfert de souveraineté dans
le contexte de la délimitation des frontières n’ayant pas mis fin aux droits traditionnels
d’usage des terres (ou des ressources maritimes) .
* * * * *
delimitation of abyei area 149
in THe maTTer of an arbiTraTion before a
TribUnal ConsTiTUTed in aCCordanCe WiTH
arTiCle 5 of THe arbiTraTion aGreemenT
beTWeen THe GoVernmenT of sUdan and THe
sUdan PeoPle’s liberaTion moVemenT/armY
on delimiTinG abYei area
-and-
THE PERMANENT COURT OF ARBITRATION OPTIONAL RULES
FOR ARBITRATING DISPUTES BETWEEN TWO PARTIES
OF WHICH ONLY ONE IS A STATE
between
THE GOVERNMENT OF SUDAN
and
THE SUDAN PEOPLE’S LIBERATION MOVEMENT/ARMY
FINAL AWARD
The arbitral Tribunal:
Professor Pierre-Marie Dupuy (Presiding Arbitrator)
H .E . Judge Awn Al-Khasawneh
Professor Dr . Gerhard Hafner
Professor W . Michael Reisman
Judge Stephen M . Schwebel
registry:
Permanent Court of Arbitration
The Peace Palace, The Hague
July 22, 2009
government of sudan/
150 sudan people’s liberation movement/army
Agents, Counsel and Other Representatives of the Parties
Government of Sudan
— Ambassador Dirdeiry Mohamed Ahmed, Dirdeiry & Co ., Khartoum,
Sudan, as Agent
— Dr . Faisal Abdel Rahman Ali Taha, Permanent Boundaries Committee,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, as Co-Agent
— Dr . Abdelrahman Ibrahim Elkhalifa, Khartoum, Sudan, as Co-Agent
— Professor James Crawford, Q .C ., SC, F .B .A ., Whewell Professor of Inter-
national Law, University of Cambridge, member of the Institut de droit
international, as Counsel and Advocate
— Dr . Nabil Elaraby, former Judge of the International Court of Justice,
Director of the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial
Arbitration, as Counsel and Advocate
— Professor Alain Pellet, University of Paris Ouest, Nanterre-La Défense,
member and former Chairman of the International Law Commission,
associate member of the Institut de Droit International, as Counsel and
Advocate
— Mr . Rodman Bundy, avocat à la Cour d’appel de Paris, Member of the
New York Bar, Eversheds LLP, Paris, as Counsel and Advocate
— Ms . Loretta Malintoppi, avocat à la Cour d’appel de Paris, Member of the
Rome Bar, Eversheds LLP, Paris, as Counsel and Advocate
— Ms . Angelynn Meya, avocat à la Cour d’appel de Paris, Member of the
New York and Connecticut Bars, Eversheds LLP, Paris, as Legal Advisor
— Mr . Jacques Hartmann, Research Associate, Lauterpacht Centre for Inter-
national Law, University of Cambridge, as Legal Advisor
— Ms . Céline Folsché, Member of the New York Bar, Researcher at the
Centre de Droit International (University of Paris Ouest, Nanterre-La
Défense), as Legal Advisor
— Mr . Paul Baker, Trainee Solicitor, Eversheds LLP, Paris, as Legal Advisor
— Mr . Charles Alexander, Research Assistant, Lauterpacht Centre for Inter-
national Law, University of Cambridge, as Legal Advisor
— Mr . Alastair Macdonald, former Director of Surveys and Production,
former acting Director General at the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain,
former Member of Council of the Royal Geographical Society and former
President of Commission IV of the International Society of Photogram-
metry and Remote Sensing, as Expert
— Mr . Martin Pratt, Director of Research, International Boundaries
Research Unit, Durham University, UK, as Technical Advisor
— Ms . Eleanor Scudder, Research Associate, International Boundaries
Research Unit, Durham University, UK, as Technical Advisor
delimitation of abyei area 151
— Mr . Abdel-Rasul El-Nour, Former Governor of Kordofan
— Professor Yousif Fadl Hasan, Professor of Arab and Islamic History, For-
mer Vice Chancellor, University of Khartoum
— Dr . Hasan Abdin, Associate Professor of African History, University of
Khartoum, Former Under-Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
— Dr . Mohamed Osman El-Sammani, Associate Professor of Geography
and Environmental Studies, University of Khartoum
— Dr . Suliman El-Debailo, Associate Professor, Gerzira University
— Mr . Mohamed Nimir Babu Nimir, Advocate and Commissioner, Sudan
Bar
— Mr . El-Amin Mohamed Bannaga, Surveyor
Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army
— Dr . Riek Machar Teny, Vice President, Government of Southern Sudan
and Deputy Chairman, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, Juba,
Sudan, as Agent
— Dr . Luka Biong Deng, Minister of Presidential Affairs, Government of
Southern Sudan, Juba, Sudan, as Agent
— Mr . Gary Born, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, London,
United Kingdom, as Counsel
— Ms . Wendy Miles, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, London,
United Kingdom, as Counsel
— Professor Paul R . Williams, Public International Law & Policy Group,
Arlington, Virginia, USA, as Counsel
— Ms . Vanessa Jiménez, Public International Law & Policy Group, Arlington,
Virginia, USA, as Counsel
— Mr . Charlie Caher, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, London,
United Kingdom, as Counsel
— Ms . Kate Davies, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, London,
United Kingdom, as Counsel
— Ms . Anna Holloway, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, Lon-
don, United Kingdom, as Counsel
— Ms . Daisy Joye, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, London,
United Kingdom, as Counsel
— Ms . Inken Knief, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, London,
United Kingdom, as Counsel
— Mr . Timothy Lindsay, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, Lon-
don, United Kingdom, as Counsel
government of sudan/
152 sudan people’s liberation movement/army
— Mr . Oliver Spackman, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, Lon-
don, United Kingdom, as Counsel
— Ms . Anna-Maria Tamminen, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP,
London, United Kingdom, as Counsel
— Ms . Lisa Tomas, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, London,
United Kingdom, as Counsel
— Mr . Jason Fisher, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, London,
United Kingdom, as Counsel
— Ms . Bridget Rutherford, Public International Law & Policy Group,
Arlington, Virginia, USA, as Counsel
— Ms . Meghan Stewart, Public International Law & Policy Group, Arlington,
Virginia, USA, as Counsel
— Ms . Courtney Nicolaisen, Public International Law & Policy Group,
Arlington, Virginia, USA, as Assistant Counsel
— Mr . Anand Shah, Public International Law & Policy Group, Arlington,
Virginia, USA, as Assistant Counsel
— Professor Martin Daly, Maine, USA
— Dr . Peter Poole, Quebec, Canada
— Professor John Anthony Allan, Professor of Geography at King’s College,
London, United Kingdom
— Mr . Richard Schofield, Senior Lecturer in Boundary Studies, Department
of Geography, King’s College, London, United Kingdom and Director of
Menas Borders Limited
— Mr . Scott Edmonds, President, International Mapping
— Mr . Alex Tait, Vice-President, International Mapping
delimitation of abyei area 153
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Glossary of Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Chapter I . Procedural history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
A . The Arbitration Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
B . Constitution of the Arbitral Tribunal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
C . Commencement and timing of arbitration proceedings . . . . . . 170
D . Preliminary procedural meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
E . Deposits and the PCA Financial Assistance Fund . . . . . . . . . . . 172
F . Written pleadings phase of the proceedings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
G . Tribunal’s request for certain documents; access to the archives
of Sudan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
H . Allegations of witness intimidation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
I . Request for funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
J . Appointment of experts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
K . Oral pleadings phase of the proceedings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
L . Rendering of the Final Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Chapter II . Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
A . Geography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
1 . The Republic of Sudan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
2 . Northern Sudan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
3 . Southern Sudan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
4 . The Abyei location, the Ngok Dinka, and the Misseriya . . . 199
B . Historical context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
1 . First and Second Civil Wars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
2 . Negotiations for peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
(a) Machakos Protocol 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
(b) The Abyei Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
(c) The Abyei Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
(d) Comprehensive Peace Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
(e) Interim National Constitution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
3 . ABC Terms of Reference and Rules of Procedure . . . . . . . . . 203
4 . ABC Experts’ Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
5 . Abyei Road Map and Arbitration Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . 207