Sudan will begin withdrawing its troops from the disputed oil-rich border region of Abyei from Tuesday as demanded by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), an army spokesman was quoted as saying by the local media on Monday.
Incidentally, Abyei region is situated along the border between North and South Sudan, and is claimed by both sides. South Sudan had declared independence from Sudan in July 2010 after it voted overwhelmingly in favor of separation from the North in a referendum. The January 2010 referendum was line with a 2005 peace agreement that ended 22 years of civil war between the Arab North and the Christian and animist South.
Although a simultaneous referendum was also planned for the Abyei region to allow the people there to decide whether they wanted to remain with North Sudan or join the South, it was postponed indefinitely due to disputes over demarcation and residency rights for the nomadic Arab tribes.
Following South Sudan's independence declaration, the North Sudanese government in Khartoum had seized control of Abyei in May 2011 in a move which was later condemned by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The ensuing fighting had forced thousands to flee Abyei.
Sudan's latest announcement comes a day before crisis talks with arch rival South Sudan are set to begin in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Tuesday. The talks are aimed at ending weeks of border clashes between the two neighboring nations and resolving disputes related to sharing of oil wealth as well as border issues.
Talks between the two nations for resolving outstanding issues triggered by South Sudan gaining independence from Sudan two years ago were stalled in April after fierce border clashes broke out between the two neighboring nations.
Tensions had escalated in recent weeks after South Sudanese forces moved into the oil-producing region of Heglig in Sudan's South Kordofan state before eventually departing. The Sudanese forces responded to South's aggression by bombing South Sudanese territory.
Earlier this month, the UNSC had extended the mandate of its peacekeeping force for Abyei by six months. The UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) was established in June last year following outbreak of violence after Sudanese troops took control of Abyei.
The UNSC also urged Sudan and South Sudan to make regular use of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee to ensure steady progress on the implementation of the 2011 June 20 agreement. The pact, signed in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, provides for temporary administrative arrangements for Abyei and the withdrawal of troops by both sides.
In a unanimously adopted resolution in early May, the UNSC determined that the prevailing situation along the border between Sudan and South Sudan constituted "a serious threat to international peace and security." It called on the two countries to immediately end hostilities and resume negotiations, and voiced its intention to take "appropriate measures" if the parties did not comply.
Following the UN threat, South Sudan withdrew its forces from Abyei. The UNSC responded by welcoming the South Sudanese move and demanding that the Government of Sudan also redeploy all remaining military and police personnel from Abyei immediately and without preconditions.
South Sudan had gained control of nearly 75 percent of Sudan's oil production when it declared independence last year. The two nations are yet to resolve several outstanding post-secession issues, including the ownership of oil-rich Abyei region, and settle disputes over oil transit fees. Both countries are heavily dependent on oil revenues. South Sudan recently suspended its oil production because of the dispute with Sudan over oil transit fees.
For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com