Heavy fighting erupts in Sudan’s Abyei
May 20, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — Deadly fighting raged between Sudanese forces on Tuesday in Abyei, a flashpoint oil district between north and south where the UN warned that violence threatened to undermine the fragile peace process.
Three years after the end of Sudan’s north-south civil war, aid workers said government troops and southern ex-rebels, the adversaries who reached a fragile power-sharing peace agreement in 2005, fought for hours in the town of Abyei.
The clashes, involving guns, mortar rounds and artillery, reached outside the gate of the main UN compound on the edge of town and severed a tentative ceasefire brokered by the United Nations late last week, aid workers said.
The UN said that unchecked deterioration in Abyei — whose estimated half a billion dollar oil wealth is bitterly contested by Sudan’s Arab north and Christian and animist south — could undermine the entire peace process.
The US embassy called for a halt to the “dangerous escalation of violence.” The UN said it was in contact with both parties and warned that insecurity threatened efforts to help up to 50,000 people displaced from Abyei last week.
“It started at 4:00 am (0100 GMT) and stopped around 8:00 am. It started again just before 10:00 am and lasted about an hour. The fighting has been very heavy,” said one aid worker on condition of anonymity.
“It’s currently quiet but I think the general feeling is that this is not the end,” the aid worker added.
Aid workers said the violence began when southern Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) attacked impoverished Abyei, which lies at the heart of the contested district and which had been under government military control.
The Sudanese army said its soldiers were killed and wounded in the assault but that it repulsed the attack.
Fears are rising of a possible counter-attack on Agok, 25 kilometres (15 miles) to the south where UN agencies and aid workers are distributing food to some of the 30,000 to 50,000 people displaced by fighting in Abyei last week.
The special UN representative in Sudan, Ashraf Qazi, expressed grave concern and said there had been numerous casualties. Aid workers reported Antonov planes bombing a site four kilometres (two miles) from an assistance hub.
“UNMIS (the UN mission in Sudan) has been in contact with both parties in an effort to arrest further deterioration of the situation, which if not checked could undermine the entire peace process,” Qazi said in a statement.
Brigadier General Muntasir Sabier, the army commander in Abyei, told AFP by telephone that SPLA forces attacked in a bid to seize control of the town.
“It was a very aggressive attack on us. They had six tanks and many machine guns on vehicles. They used all their weapons to occupy Abyei. But we defeated them. Our reserve came and chased them out of Abyei,” he said.
“There are many, many officers and soldiers of them (SPLA) who were killed. We also have some casualties — some dead and some injuries,” he said.
Edward Lino, the chief southern politician based in Abyei, blamed the government military for sending additional troops into the town overnight.
“The objective of the SPLA now was first of all to defend ourselves and the area, and to defend the people,” he told AFP by telephone from the south.
Lino said he had reports of “many wounded” and that fighting was “still going on”.
“This is the biggest violation that happened (since the 2005 peace agreement) but we are for peace and we cannot allow it to fall,” he added.
The United Nations last week evacuated its entire civilian staff from the town following days of fighting between government forces and the SPLA.
The entire civilian population in the town and outlying areas — a mixture of Arab and Ngok Dinka tribesmen — also fled.
Footage broadcast by the pan-Arab Al-Jazeera television network from Abyei after last week’s fighting showed burnt-out buses, the smouldering wreckage of destroyed shops and homes, and cement buildings reduced to shells.
“The roots of this current violence are intimately tied to the inability of the parties, after almost three years, to implement the Abyei protocol,” the US embassy warned referring to special plans to administer the border area.
Sudan’s 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, signed after 1.5 million people were killed in Africa’s longest civil war, gave the south regional autonomy and participation in national government until a 2011 referendum on independence.
In 2011, Abyei will also hold a separate referendum on whether to retain its special administrative status in the north or join the south.
(AFP)
Ruai Malual Jal
Heavy fighting erupts in Sudan’s Abyei
Dear Southerners,
we have right that we can fight more with Arabs in Abyei because Abyei is belong to the south since the creation of the world.
Abeyi will never be belong to the north despite its administration that was tranfered to Kordonfan in 1905.
I can appeals to SPLA force to protect the civillian in Abyei.
I can personaly appeal to high command of the SPLA to send more troop to Abyei
PLease SPLA Kill the stupid Arabs in Abyei
Dear brothers in the north, What do you want in Abyei? Go away from Abyei.
Shuggar
Heavy fighting erupts in Sudan’s Abyei
Having armed the misyria to fight the SPLA in Abyei, The Sudanese Army is now waging the war against the Government of South Sudan. This is utterly rediculus. I do not see any logic in the NCP escalating the dispute over Abyei. Please, please the leadership of SPLM stay hard on Abyei and make these thugs in Khartoum to understand that such an action is intolerated anymore. If they chose to act like this, then they should also understand that they jeopordise their existence. Please, advise them that acting in such a manner they may trigger a full scale war that will for sure wipe them out of Sudan.
Mr Famous Big_Logic_Boy
Heavy fighting erupts in Sudan’s Abyei
SUNA is bloody fucking reporter laying to northern people to beleive that SPLA were the first to attack mean while government troops including nomadics were the first for being on Southern Sudan area.who is the crazy chairmain or director of state news agency in Khartoum,please stop laying with your stupid papers tell the truth otherwise come and see with your own eyes and experience some skills from SPLA rather than getting information from some one who just hide far and returns or transfers wrong information to the editor.those nomadic and NCP troops in Southern area of Abeyi must remove their site to northern border.otherwise i would support SPLA to kill any stranger on the wrong side.we need a space from mixing up with terrorist group and this will be done throught stopping arabs from entering South.
Keep the spirit SPLA we must die on our own motherland never give up.
Toposa Boy southerner
Heavy fighting erupts in Sudan’s Abyei
Now Silver kirr Dinka what you getting back from Khartoum NCP Satan Organization
Is the killing of your own tribes when we southerners say there will be no peace in Sudan until the SATAN organization NCP disappear completely from Sudan than Sudan will see peace particularly southern Sudan
Andrew Ater REECH
Heavy fighting erupts in Sudan’s Abyei
Dear mighty SPLA, thanks for your outstanding sacrifies for the last 22 years and on going situation you guys facing now, the northerners armed gang so-called mujhaadine only understand the language of the machine gun as you show them right now, the pride and ignorance of islamic held them captive and blinded them for what a reasonable man called logic.its the logic that the name abyei is indeed belong to nine DINKA NGOK chiefdom, and it is true that the dinka ngok can share the same name with a man from JONGLEI STATE with the same meaning, i can’t understand any various among in this trend. can El Bashir and his fellow Arab ask themselves about the simple definition of the name of the area they are fighting for. in Arabic do they have the word called ABYEI and KIIR current known as bahr el Arab? those torrorist should not scratching the scare of healed wound they have inflicted on southerners during the struggle. the memories of the bitterness war are still fresh. lets Bashir puppet understand that 2.5 million of NUBA Mt,BLUE NILE,EAST and SOUTH sudan their life wasn’t invain, the fought for the freedom of the whole nation, its a true course that brought the CPA and if those thugs think of any possible ways in which to discard comperhensive peace agreement they will pay ultimate price for it. the vocie of million sudanese calling for freedom, equality and justice systems that recognise the whole nation has just risen beyond sunrise,if Bashir doesn’t act into this alarming situation then he gave jornalist and authors something to write, as many title will be sounding like” when the war begin…” if this lead to a full scale war, no southerner will blame our leaders of mishandling the situation. its the called that can be highly regarded as the conscience act, the whole notion is to take necessary majors by redrawn the map that bring the whole of BEYI into the southern map without giving an ictch of land to arab so called messariya . wether SPLM elect a baby or a woman in the second convention , the chairman
shall make the principle that put the destiny of the southerners as the first priority then of that ugly unity they are signing otherwise west bank and gaza shall be the reality live of the southerners in months to come if not years.
Wilson Kur Lual
Heavy fighting erupts in Sudan’s Abyei
If NCP did not stop their foolish ideas of liberating Abyei and do not respect CPA that mean this will be the right time for sons of south to wage brutal war against Arabs, unless they stop dreaming of Abyei Oil.
Abyei belong to south and shall be for south forever.
God bless the operation.
Grader
Sudan’s armed forces invaded Abyei
It is now clear that the town of Abyei was invaded on the orders of the SAF central command and that it wasn’t an action of the baggara as initially deciphered! Abyei belongs to us (South), we’ll not leave an inch unclaimed and therefore it is worth fighting for.
May the souls of the deceased rest in peace assured that their land is being defended with best resources avalable …
Bravo to our gallant forces and bravo to the people of Abyei for facing the monsters since time immemorial. We’ll prevail eventually … Atung diak oyee! SPLA oyee!
Jacob Nhial Chan
Heavy fighting erupts in Sudan’s Abyei
My question to all web writters is, what is your understanding to the last three years CPA?
In my point of view there is no need for the two greate Nuer and Dinka tribe to abuses that do not much the CPA.
Is not Nuer and Dinka fighting today but Abyei the imaginalise Area, rather than we can all both suport the scense.
Mabutu Malet
Heavy fighting erupts in Sudan’s Abyei
Bravo SPLA.
It is better to Wage war then giving our brothers to the Northern Government full of Atrocities and Genocide like in Darfur Region.
Countinue fighting them.
Kiir Cook your mind with your commanders in SPLA.
Sudan Government has hiden agenda behind CPA.
SPLA OooooooYeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
kur Osonya Nyon
Heavy fighting erupts in Sudan’s Abyei
You useless Dinkas, when people are talking right things, you are in the opposite, you are not here to rub your heads with Nuer because of ABC, but you people MUST advise your president Kiir, we are suffering because of his blunders.
We hope for general changes from you Dinkas, so that we can achieve the unity your president is belaboring every day.
Magiir Kenyang
Heavy fighting erupts in Sudan’s Abyei
There we go, it’s a clear message to those thieves and greedy leaders in Juba.
Poorly equipped SPLA forces can’t now compete and protect our own people forget about being a nationally recognized army. Instead of spending the last 3 years of supposed referredum while building up the SPLA armed forces to clear up such event and to send clear signal to NIF in Khartoum, the SPLA leaders spent those years building up their bellies.
….only 6 tanks in an area that has shown severe symptoms of NIF in the last 3 years!!!!!!!!!!!! Good heaven what could be more ashamed than sending our mighty men and women to die with empty hand?
…disappointing…!