Int'l community urges prevention of Sudan conflict from hindering settlement of Abyei issue

Photo: Displaced people from Abyei gather under trees in Turalei (Enough/Tim Freccia)

KHARTOUM, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The conflict in Sudan, while having a devastating impact on its people, is also profoundly affecting the bilateral relationship between the country and South Sudan, particularly regarding the disputed Abyei region.

The international community is calling for an early ceasefire and joint efforts to address humanitarian crises along Sudan's borders, and to prevent a further destabilization and delay in the settlement of the Abyei issue.

Sudan has been witnessing deadly armed clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum and other areas since April 15, with the two sides accusing each other of initiating the conflict.

The Abyei-related issues should not be subjected to the negative impact of the situation in Sudan, Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), said on Tuesday while speaking at a Security Council meeting on Sudan and South Sudan.

Dai noted that China hopes the parties concerned will continue to create favorable conditions for the settlement of the final status of Abyei.

"We wish to see an early ceasefire in Sudan, and believe that Sudan and South Sudan will continue the momentum of dialogue and cooperation and implement the consensus already reached," said the envoy.

Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, special envoy of the UN secretary-general for the Horn of Africa, warns that the current instability in Sudan has already caused the return of South Sudanese refugees hosted by Sudan, as over 200,000 more refugees may return to a country where two-thirds of the population need humanitarian assistance.

As the Sudanese authorities are not currently in a position to effectively protect their borders, said Tetteh, the insecurity at the border between Sudan and South Sudan could increase with cross-border movements of armed and criminal groups.

Noting the fighting is also affecting the daily commercial activities and delivery of food and other basic goods from Sudan to South Sudan and putting oil exports from South Sudan through Port Sudan at risk, she stressed that the priority now in Sudan is to stop the fighting and start constructive negotiations between the SAF and RSF that hopefully would lead to a permanent ceasefire and the return to a transitional civilian government.

While briefing the Security Council, the UN Assistant Secretary-General Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee also warned that the impact of ongoing violence in Sudan is threatening to derail bilateral political progress with South Sudan, worsen the fragile humanitarian situation, and pose fresh risks.

Despite the positive momentum created earlier between Sudan and South Sudan on the issue of Abyei, Pobee said the outbreak of violence in Sudan "may deeply impact the chance for political progress on Abyei and border issues."

The United Nations Interim Security Force in Abyei is monitoring the potential impact of the fighting in Sudan, such as an influx of displaced persons, the entry of armed groups into the area or the emboldening of spoilers in local intercommunal relations, she said.

The humanitarian environment in Abyei remains challenging, with UN and non-governmental organizations aiding some 212,000 vulnerable people in the area, including roughly 30,000 internally displaced persons, said Pobee, noting the outbreak of fighting in Sudan risks further complicating the humanitarian situation there.

Also on Tuesday, South Sudan and Egypt called for concerted efforts among Sudan's neighbors and the international community to tackle the humanitarian crisis stemming from the conflict, saying they will continue to coordinate and cooperate and contribute to relieving the situation.

So far, the clashes have claimed the lives of at least 550 people and left 4,926 others wounded, the Sudanese Ministry of Health reported. ■