South Sudanese officials accused the government on Tuesday of reinforcing troops in the disputed oil town of Abyei, raising tensions as United Nations Security Council envoys flew in to shore up a peace deal. Clashes in Abyei last month increased fears of a return to war between the northern government and the south.
Burned and looted huts stretch as far as the eye can see in Sudan’s oil-rich town of Abyei, now empty of civilians, the United States special envoy to Sudan, Richard Williamson, said on Saturday. Williamson, who toured Abyei on Friday, said he saw ”scorched earth” devastation in the town where heavy fighting last month sent tens of thousands of civilians fleeing.
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/ 26 February 2008
The deadly conflict in Darfur entered its sixth year on Tuesday with no solution in sight, as Khartoum continued to resist the full deployment of a peacekeeping force amid a fresh wave of bombings. The anniversary coincides with visits to the country by Washington’s special envoy for Sudan, Richard Williamson, and China’s point man for Darfur, Liu Giujin, for top-level talks.