23 May 2011 VOA News The U.N. mission in Sudan reports burning and looting in the contested town of Abyei, which north Sudanese forces seized two days ago.
The mission strongly condemned the violence in a statement Monday and said the north's army is responsible for maintaining law and order in the areas they control.
The U.N. blamed the burning and looting on “armed elements” in Abyei without elaborating.
The United Nations Security Council demanded that
The government of autonomous south Sudan says the seizure was illegal and is calling for help from the international community.
In a statement Sunday, Security Council members called on north Sudan to “withdraw immediately” from the town of Abyei and the surrounding area. Witnesses report looting and burning of homes in the area.
South Sudan says the north's seizure of the territory was illegal and is calling for help from the international community.
The northern and southern armies had agreed to conduct joint patrols in Abyei. But fighting erupted Thursday when a northern army convoy came under attack. Each army accuses the other of firing first.
The north's seizure of Abyei has raised fears of a new civil war in Sudan.
The north and south fought fiercely over the oil-rich region during a 21-year war that ended in 2005.
On Monday, an aide to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir said Khartoum remains committed to the peace deal that ended that conflict.
Separately, Mr. Bashir said any attempt by south Sudan's army to take control of Abyei is unacceptable and means a return to war.
He added that “our intention is create warm relations with southerners.”
South Sudan voted overwhelmingly for independence in a January referendum and is scheduled to become the world's newest nation on July 9.
A separate referendum on Abyei's fate was cancelled because of disagreement over who would be allowed to vote.
The medical aid group Doctors Without Borders says it received 42 wounded people in a hospital south of Abyei following north Sudan's attack. It says nearly all of the town's population has fled since the violence began.