Fight for Abyei 2011
The 2011 fighting for Abyei was an armed conflict that took place from May 21 to June 20, 2011 between Sudan and South Sudan for control of the Abyei area. Sudanese troops occupied the disputed area, and around a hundred thousand residents fled to South Sudan. Both sides finally agreed to set up a demilitarized zone , which will be monitored by the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei .
background
Since at least 1956 there have been tensions between South Sudan , a smaller part of the population of which is Christian and more traditionally religious , and the rest of the country, which is predominantly Muslim . From 1955 to 1972 and from 1983 to 2005 civil war raged between South Sudanese rebels and the central government dominated by the north. In 2005 the war ended with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement .
Even after the agreement, however, the status of the Abyei border area remained controversial. During the civil war, the Ngok ( Dinka ) living in the area had largely supported South Sudan or the southern rebel army SPLA , while Misseriya - Baggara had fought on the side of the government. In addition, there are petroleum stocks nearby at Heglig .
In accordance with the peace agreement, a referendum on the independence of South Sudan was held in the week of January 9-15 , 2011 , with 98.83% of the participants in favor of independence. According to the peace agreement, the inhabitants of the Abyei area should have voted simultaneously on whether their area should belong to the north or the south in the future. However, this referendum was canceled because North and South Sudan could not agree on whether only the Ngok or the Misseriya should be eligible to participate.
timeline
On May 21, 2011, the Sudanese army seized the Abyei area with tanks , forcing the troops of the South Sudanese SPLA to retreat. The Northern Air Force also bombed several villages in the area, including Todach and Tagalei. The North justified his actions by accusing the SPLA, a convoy troops of the North and on May 19, UN - peacekeeping forces have attacked what former deny.
On May 22, 2011, Khartoum announced the capture of the Abyei region and, according to Minister of State Amin Hassan Omar, declared his will to eliminate “armed groups from the south”. The UN Security Council appealed to the north to withdraw its troops from the disputed region, which Khartoum refused. Thousands of civilians fled the fighting; according to the UN , looting and arson were reported.
On May 23, 2011, South Sudan responded by accusing the North of provoking a new civil war. The next day, the Sudanese President, Umar al-Bashir , confirmed in a discourse in Khartoum that Abyei belonged to Northern Sudan .
On May 25, 2011, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon proposed a 7,000-man peacekeeping force for Sudan, with four UN helicopters being the target of fire in Abyei on the same day, likely by troops from the north. The next day, Salva Kiir Mayardit confirmed that there was no new war for control of this disputed region.
On May 28, 2011, the northern Sudanese military announced the end of its fighting in the region. On May 31, 2011, the two sides accepted an African Union- approved demilitarized zone, and Ethiopia was ready to send troops to peacekeeping if necessary and desired by both sides.
Fighting resumed on June 5, 2011, with several deaths, particularly in Umm Dorain village, causing civilians to flee. On June 8, 2011, South Sudan called for a ceasefire and also accused the north of attacking a village in Unity on June 10, 2011 .
On June 11, 2011, Khartoum accepted peace negotiations with the south over the Abyei region. Even if a ceasefire was still planned, the battle was still raging, especially in South Kordofan .
On June 12, 2011, Khartoum agreed to withdraw its troops before July 9, the date set for independence for South Sudan. The SPLA next accused Sudan of a new bombing on its territory using MiG-23 and Antonov . In addition, on the same day, the two camps accepted a demilitarized zone in Abyei and the dispatch of Ethiopian peacekeepers under the aegis of the African Union.
According to a spokesman for the SPLA, local militiamen of the south killed seven Sudanese and 22 civilians on June 14 near the Abyei region. US President Barack Obama called on both sides to sign a ceasefire, stated that there was “no military solution” and accused the North of having provoked the conflict.
On June 19, 2011, as the fighting intensified, Khartoum sent reinforcements to South Kordofan , including numerous armored vehicles. In addition, the Sudanese army attacked rebels of the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA) in Darfur, killing 27 people including 19 civilians, according to a spokesman for the rebels.
On June 20, 2011, both sides agreed to demilitarize the disputed Abyei area and to send Ethiopian troops on peace missions under the aegis of the United Nations , thus ending the conflict. This United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) was deployed in July. In early November 2011, however, Sudan had not yet withdrawn its troops from the area.
About 100,000 Ngok-Dinka fled to neighboring areas of South Sudan as a result of the fighting. Only a few thousand of them had returned by April 2012, and most of these displaced persons remain in precarious conditions in South Sudan.
Reactions from abroad
- United States: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appealed to Sudan to withdraw troops from the region, saying she supported Ethiopia's proposal. On June 15, US President Barack Obama also called on the two camps to agree to a ceasefire, stressed that "there is no military solution" and accused the North of having provoked the conflict.
- Ethiopia: Foreign Ministry spokesman Dina Mufti said that Ethiopia is ready to send peacekeeping forces to the region if necessary and requested by both sides.
- South Sudan: President Salva Kiir Mayardit stated that there was no new war affecting the Abyei region and that it would not prevent the country's independence.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e “North Sudan takes control key town in Abyei” , Reuters, May 21, 2011
- ^ "North Sudan says its forces seize disputed Abyei" , Reuters, May 22, 2011
- ^ "North Sudan defies UN, vows to stay in Abyei" , Reuters, May 23, 2011
- ↑ "" Horrific "reports of looting, burning in Abyei -US" , Reuters, 24 May 2011
- ↑ a b “Sudan's Bashir says Abyei belongs to north” , Reuters, May 24, 2011
- ^ "UN proposes new peacekeeping force for south Sudan" , Reuters, May 25, 2011
- ↑ "S.Sudan says there will be no war over Abyei" , Reuters, 26 May 2011
- ^ "North Sudan says Abyei military operations halted" , Reuters, May 28, 2011
- ^ A b “North, South Sudan agree demilitarized zone -AU” , Reuters, May 31, 2011
- ^ "Ethiopia to send troops to Sudan's Abyei if asked" , Reuters, May 31, 2011
- ^ "Clashes reported in Sudan flashpoint state" , Reuters, June 5, 2011
- ^ "South Sudan party calls for S. Kordofan ceasefire" , Reuters, June 8, 2011
- ↑ "Sudan accuses north of air attack, clashes flare" Reuters, June 11, 2011
- ^ "North, south Sudan leaders to hold Abyei talks" , Reuters, June 11, 2011
- ↑ "Violence roils Sudan oil state, leaders to hold talks" Reuters, June 11, 2011
- ^ "Sudan's Bashir agrees to Abyei withdrawal-diplomats" , Reuters, June 12, 2011
- ^ "South Sudan says northern aircraft bomb its territory" , Reuters, June 13, 2011
- ^ "North, south Sudan agree to Ethiopia peacekeepers -AU" , Reuters, June 13, 2011
- ^ "South Sudan rebel militia raid kills 29, army says" , Reuters, June 14, 2011
- ↑ a b “Obama calls for ceasefire in Sudan” , Reuters, June 15, 2011
- ↑ "Monitor says north army masses in Sudan oil state" , Reuters, June 19, 2011
- ↑ “Darfur rebels say Sudan army attacks their positions” , Reuters, June 19, 2011
- ^ "North and South Sudan agree to demilitarize Abyei" , Sudan Tribune, June 20, 2011
- ↑ Tesfa-Alem Tekle: Ethiopia: UN force striving to resolve Abyei dispute despite the presence of armies
- ↑ Abyei displaced struggle to survive in impoverished villages , in: IRIN News, April 10, 2012
- ^ "Clinton urges Africa to drop Gaddafi, embrace rebels" , Reuters, June 13, 2011
- ^ "Ethiopia to send troops to Sudan's Abyei if asked" , Reuters, May 31, 2011