Abyei

Sudan's northern army seized control of a disputed, oil-rich region of central Sudan on Sunday, officials said, forcing thousands to flee and bringing the country to the brink of civil war. After weeks of clashes between northern and southern forces in the Abyei region, President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir — who is wanted by the International Criminal Court in connection with genocide in the Darfur region — on Saturday dissolved a joint council...

Facing increased scrutiny at home and a war crimes indictment abroad, Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir stood before his National Assembly on Tuesday and promised a freer, more inclusive government. Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court in connection with massacres in Darfur, spoke just days after attending ceremonies marking South Sudan's independence from his own Khartoum-based government. Sudan is entering a "second republic" comprising mainly Muslim Arabs, and people will be able to vote on a new constitution crafted with widespread participation, he said.

Leaders of northern and southern Sudan agreed Monday to demilitarize the disputed border region of Abyei after an incursion by northern forces, which still occupy the region. The two sides signed a pact in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, where former South African President Thabo Mbeki acted as a mediator. He told reporters that Ethiopian peacekeepers would be dispatched under the U.N. flag to patrol the oil-rich area. The exact number will be decided at a U.N. meeting in New York, he said.

His nation on the verge of shrinking, and trouble unfolding in every direction, Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir is playing warrior and diplomat in efforts to keep his supporters loyal and his economy from collapsing under huge debt. Bashir's northern troops unleashed weeks of bloodshed and remain massed in the Abyei oil region near the soon-to-be independent southern Sudan. His soldiers further stunned the international community when they swept into nearby South Kordofan state and the Nuba Mountains to attack tribesmen accused of fomenting insurrection.

Clashes in recent days between Arab nomads and tribesmen have left at least 30 people dead and raised fears that the independence referendum in southern Sudan could lead to widespread violence in the disputed, oil-rich region of Abyei. Straddling the volatile area where northern and southern Sudan meet, Abyei has a dangerous mix of heavily armed Arab cattle herders loyal to the northern-based government of President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir and Dinka Ngok tribesmen aligned with the southern leadership.

His nation on the verge of shrinking, and trouble unfolding in every direction, Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir is playing warrior and diplomat in efforts to keep his supporters loyal and his economy from collapsing under huge debt. Bashir's northern troops unleashed weeks of bloodshed and remain massed in the Abyei oil region near the soon-to-be independent southern Sudan. His soldiers further stunned the international community when they swept into nearby South Kordofan state and the Nuba Mountains to attack tribesmen accused of fomenting insurrection.

On Jan. 9, after a half-century of violence and strife, the people of southern Sudan voted overwhelmingly to secede from the north. In the joyous aftermath of the historic referendum, formal independence was set for July 9, when, for the first time in nearly 20 years, a new, sovereign, self-governing African nation is scheduled to come into being. Secession makes sense. The two regions, north and south, had been shoehorned into one nation by the British in 1956 despite their glaring linguistic, cultural, racial and historical contradictions — a colonial mismatch that led to one of the longest civil wars in Africa.

After decades of war, ruin and dashed aspirations, southern Sudan moved a step closer to independence Monday as thousands registered to vote in a referendum that early next year could split Africa's largest country in two. The voter registration drive, marred by delays and political wrangling, began at about 2,700 centers around Sudan. The bulk of the turnout was in the semiautonomous south, dominated by animists and Christians, which on Jan. 9 is expected to secede from the mostly Muslim government in the north controlled by President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir.

Facing increased scrutiny at home and a war crimes indictment abroad, Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir stood before his National Assembly on Tuesday and promised a freer, more inclusive government. Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court in connection with massacres in Darfur, spoke just days after attending ceremonies marking South Sudan's independence from his own Khartoum-based government. Sudan is entering a "second republic" comprising mainly Muslim Arabs, and people will be able to vote on a new constitution crafted with widespread participation, he said.

Sudan's disputed oil-rich central region spiraled further into chaos Monday, as armed looters set fire to the main town in the Abyei area, residents and humanitarian groups fled and northern troops dug in for what could be a prolonged conflict with southern forces. The northern army appears to have sent thousands of troops to Abyei town, according to satellite images, although army officials denied the number was that high. Thousands of those displaced by the fighting arrived in neighboring areas to the south, where schools were converted into shelters.

Leaders of northern and southern Sudan agreed Monday to demilitarize the disputed border region of Abyei after an incursion by northern forces, which still occupy the region. The two sides signed a pact in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, where former South African President Thabo Mbeki acted as a mediator. He told reporters that Ethiopian peacekeepers would be dispatched under the U.N. flag to patrol the oil-rich area. The exact number will be decided at a U.N. meeting in New York, he said.

On Jan. 9, after a half-century of violence and strife, the people of southern Sudan voted overwhelmingly to secede from the north. In the joyous aftermath of the historic referendum, formal independence was set for July 9, when, for the first time in nearly 20 years, a new, sovereign, self-governing African nation is scheduled to come into being. Secession makes sense. The two regions, north and south, had been shoehorned into one nation by the British in 1956 despite their glaring linguistic, cultural, racial and historical contradictions — a colonial mismatch that led to one of the longest civil wars in Africa.

Thousands of residents of Sudan's disputed oil-rich Abyei region continued to flee south Tuesday, along with humanitarian groups attempting to prepare clinics and shelters before the rainy season strands the displaced and renders mostly dirt roads impassable. Chol Anguie, a member the Abyei administrative council, said hundreds of children were separated from their parents when fighting started in the region over the weekend and are searching for their families in towns to the south.

Sudan's disputed oil-rich central region spiraled further into chaos Monday, as armed looters set fire to the main town in the Abyei area, residents and humanitarian groups fled and northern troops dug in for what could be a prolonged conflict with southern forces. The northern army appears to have sent thousands of troops to Abyei town, according to satellite images, although army officials denied the number was that high. Thousands of those displaced by the fighting arrived in neighboring areas to the south, where schools were converted into shelters.

Sudan's northern army seized control of a disputed, oil-rich region of central Sudan on Sunday, officials said, forcing thousands to flee and bringing the country to the brink of civil war. After weeks of clashes between northern and southern forces in the Abyei region, President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir — who is wanted by the International Criminal Court in connection with genocide in the Darfur region — on Saturday dissolved a joint council...

Clashes in recent days between Arab nomads and tribesmen have left at least 30 people dead and raised fears that the independence referendum in southern Sudan could lead to widespread violence in the disputed, oil-rich region of Abyei. Straddling the volatile area where northern and southern Sudan meet, Abyei has a dangerous mix of heavily armed Arab cattle herders loyal to the northern-based government of President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir and Dinka Ngok tribesmen aligned with the southern leadership.

Thousands of residents of Sudan's disputed oil-rich Abyei region continued to flee south Tuesday, along with humanitarian groups attempting to prepare clinics and shelters before the rainy season strands the displaced and renders mostly dirt roads impassable. Chol Anguie, a member the Abyei administrative council, said hundreds of children were separated from their parents when fighting started in the region over the weekend and are searching for their families in towns to the south.

In a ruling many hope will bolster Sudan's fragile north-south peace agreement, an international arbitration panel Wednesday awarded the northern-led government control of several key disputed oil fields while giving large swaths of contested grazing lands to the south. The split decision regarding the flash-point region of Abyei was seen as a boost to the 2005 U.S.

After decades of war, ruin and dashed aspirations, southern Sudan moved a step closer to independence Monday as thousands registered to vote in a referendum that early next year could split Africa's largest country in two. The voter registration drive, marred by delays and political wrangling, began at about 2,700 centers around Sudan. The bulk of the turnout was in the semiautonomous south, dominated by animists and Christians, which on Jan. 9 is expected to secede from the mostly Muslim government in the north controlled by President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir.

In a ruling many hope will bolster Sudan's fragile north-south peace agreement, an international arbitration panel Wednesday awarded the northern-led government control of several key disputed oil fields while giving large swaths of contested grazing lands to the south. The split decision regarding the flash-point region of Abyei was seen as a boost to the 2005 U.S.