AFRICA/SUDAN-North and south Sudan accuse each other due to new clashes in Abyei

Juba (Agenzia Fides) - Tension in Abyei increases, the area rich in oil is disputed between north and south Sudan, after clashes that have opposed the troops of the two contenders, and have also involved the men of UNMIS (the UN mission in Sudan). According to UN sources, unknown assailants attacked a column of the army of northern Sudan while , escorted by troops from UNMIS, were evacuating Abyei.
A spokesman for the Khartoum authorities has accused the army of South Sudan (South People Liberation Army, SPLA) to be responsible for the ambush that resulted in several casualties
Colonel Phillip Aguer, a spokesman for the SPLA, in an interview with South Catholic News Radio (SCR) turned the accusations against the military in Khartoum, claiming that the first shots came from the convoy and that the SPLA responded to the aggression. In a note sent to the media, Colonel Aguer also accused the army of northerners for having bombed four villages in the area. A UNMIS representative contacted by the South Catholic Radio News said that the identity of the attackers has not been ascertained.
According to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in Nairobi in 2005 by the central government in Khartoum and by the then SPLA rebels, the fate of Abyei had been decided by a referendum held simultaneously with that of the independence of southern Sudan, which took place in January and saw a clear predominance of the independence supporters. The referendum on Abyei, however, was not held due to differences over the voting rights of many nomads who live in the area at certain times of the year. In July, southern Sudan will officially declare independence, but the tensions in Abyei and the internal tensions pose a serious mortgage on the future of the new state. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 21/05/2011)