Sudan: Abyei Ablaze

Submitted by kennedy@genocid... on Mon, 05/23/2011 - 5:51pm

Over the weekend, Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) troops undertook a comprehensive offensive, which resulted in the capture of Abyei town by northern troops. Due to Abyei’s status as a flashpoint for renewed conflict between north and south Sudan, this weekend’s attacks significantly raise the potential for wider fighting between the SAF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA)

On Saturday morning, nearly 5,000 SAF troops fought their way into Abyei town, the capital of the contested Abyei region.  Ostensibly the assault was in retaliation for Thursday’s attack on a convoy of SAF troops being escorted out of the territory by UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) peacekeepers.  The SAF actions were incredibly disproportionate and featured the widespread use of tanks and mortars to attack Abyei town, as well as the bombing of surrounding villages.
 
By Monday morning, armed gunmen were burning and looting homes and businesses in Abyei town.  An estimated 30,000 residents of the town have fled south towards the southern town of Agok.  Humanitarian aid workers have also been forced out of Abyei and relocated to the Southern Sudanese towns of Turalei and Wunrok.
 
The attacks drew widespread condemnation from the United States and the broader international community.  The U.S. condemned the attack and called for an immediate cessation of offensive operations in Abyei.  United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon condemned the ongoing heavy fighting, and expressed deep concern for the safety of Abyei’s civilian population.
 
Today, SDC/GI-NET and its allies have issued a press release as part of Sudan Now, calling on the international community to do the following:

  • The United States to demand the immediate cessation of offensive operations and the withdrawal of the SAF from the Abyei area;
  • Immediate U.S. imposition of unilateral sanctions on individuals implicated in violence;
  • The U.S. government to begin planning for contingency scenarios for civilian protection in Sudan;
  • The United States to convene an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council and propose the rapid establishment of a targeted sanctions regime for anyone responbile for violence against civilians in Sudan;
  • The UN Security Council to accelerate planning for emergency steps to protect civilians from violence; and
  • The UN to expand and strengthen existing UN sanctions on Sudan.