Abyei is an oil-rich region in Sudan which has long been fought over by the Government of Sudan and the Government of South Sudan. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which ended the decades long civil war between the North and the South, established the Abyei Border Commission to decide the fate of the region, and it decided it belonged to the South.
However, the Government of Sudan didn’t recognize the decision, and there has been tension about Abyei ever since. And this past week, there were heavy clashes this past week in Abyei, which caused thousands to flee and aid to be stopped in the region until the UN geared up to bring emergency relief.
Not only did it create a humanitarian crisis, but it created a crisis about long-term peace in Sudan. South Sudanese officials said Sudan was “on the brink of war” and the Sudanese Army was accused of sending more troops to the town and the army of South Sudan begun to build up its troops in response.
Thankfully, officials managed to agree to a truce and an end of build-up of troops, but the peace of Sudan as a whole remains threatened by the event.
This is something all of STAND should be watching if we’re serious about an All-Sudan Solution