Sudan: Violence in Abyei After North Seizes Town

The Northern Sudanese military seized the disputed border town of Abyei over the weekend just weeks ahead of the planned southern declaration of independence.  U.N. peacekeepers stationed in the town have reported that that gunmen are looting and engaging in gunbattles throughout the town.  Thousands of residents have also reportedly fled southward into Southern Sudan as a result.  The U.N. mission in Abyei was unable to confirm whether the gunman belonged to northern or southern forces; however the South Sudanese government has called North Sudan’s actions an “illegal and unconstitutional” invasion.  The southern government also directly accused the northern military forces of participating in the widespread looting.  The northern government in Khartoum denied the charges.