Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Abyei (Agenzia Fides) - "We have fragmented news from Abyei, but according to what we managed to find out the residents have evacuated the city, which is now empty," the priest of Abyei told Fides, who was not in town at the moment of conquest by the forces of northern Sudan, on Saturday, May 21. "According to a UN press release, there are approximately 50 thousand IDPs from the area, between Abyei town and surrounding villages. It is a humanitarian disaster, because these people are without assistance - says the priest -. The forces from the north have conquered Abyei after having bombed it for two days with heavy weapons. "
The occupation of Abyei from the troops of Khartoum has been condemned by the European Union and the UN Security Council which has asked the Sudanese government for the immediate withdrawal of its troops from the area. The authorities in Khartoum said they had intervened in Abyei in response to an ambush to their military convoy which was under the UNMIS (the UN Mission in Sudan) escort. A spokesman for the Khartoum authorities had accused the army of South Sudan (South People Liberation Army) to be responsible for the ambush that resulted in several deaths (see Fides 21/5/2011).
Abyei, is rich in oil and is disputed between north and south Sudan, in addition it is also the grazing area for some nomadic tribes that live between the north and south. On the basis of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in Nairobi in 2005 by the central government in Khartoum and the then SPLA rebels, the fate of the area of Abyei was to be decided by a referendum to be held simultaneously with that related to the independence of southern Sudan, which was held in January this year and saw the prevalence of the proponents of independence. The referendum on Abyei, however, was not held due to the differences over the voting rights of many nomads who live in the area at certain times of the year. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 05/23/2011)
