The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, is urging North and South Sudan to end the violence between them and build a lasting peace. Renewed fighting between the two sides, ahead of South Sudan's new Independence Day on July 9th, is raising fears of another civil war. The two sides fought a two-decade-long war which ended in 2005 with a Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
In a statement released Saturday, the Secretary-General said he is "alarmed at the deterioration of the security situation and escalation of fighting in Southern Kordofan, which has left thousands homeless...and the situation in Abyei and the fate of those affected by the conflict in the area." On Sunday there was late word of a possible agreement for all military forces to be removed from Abyei.
The latest outbreak of violence in Sudan has brought hunger and large-scale displacement. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is distributing food to conflict victims. In the Abyei Region, WFP says it has reached 91,717 displaced persons with rations. Almost 2,000 children have received plumpydoz, a special food to prevent dangerous malnutrition in children under five years of age.
Abyei is a disputed, oil-rich territory that sits right between North And South Sudan. The area was supposed to vote on whether to join the North or the South, but this never took place.
Following the seizure of Abyei by northern Sudanese troops on 20 May, armed elements have been burning buildings and looting in the town, actions that have been strongly condemned by the UN. Photo: UNMIS/ Stuart Price.
By 1 June, about 40,000 people displaced from Abyei after the town's takeover by Sudan Armed Forces had been registered in the Abyei area, Unity State and the greater Bahr El-Ghazal region and were receiving humanitarian assistance. Photo: UNMIS/Issac Gideon.
The Abyei region also happens to have a high rate of child malnutrition. UNICEF says, "Even in normal times, this is a population with few resources to draw on. For example, health surveys conducted prior to the crisis revealed high levels of malnutrition among young children, a situation that is now certain to be aggravated."
Article comments
1 - brijav
Why we can't build a lasting peace? If we trace back the history, every civilization had a war. Then if we trace it further, we will discover that our ancestors, the pre-human, have this kind of instinct. If we apply the natural selection of Darwin, we will discover that that most aggressive man can survive in the environment and the less aggressive man will die. And the behaviour of this aggressive man will pass through generation. So the main solution for war, is understanding and behavioral change... Through this, we will eliminate the conflict and greed that cause hunger and war in human race.