Southern Sudanese officials are seeking international help after Northern troops seized the border town of Abyei Saturday night. At the same time, the United Nation's Security Council is now demanding that the Sudanese government withdraw its troops from Abyei.
On Saturday night, Northern troops entered Abyei and threatened to reignite the country's civil war. The U.N.'s compound was also seized. The Northern army accused the South of going against a peace agreement and said the occupation of Abyei by the South will continue until security and stability could be reached in the region.
"The present occupation (by the Northern government) is illegal, this is the responsibility of the (U.N.) Security Council to see that they are withdrawn," said Barnaba Marial Benjamin, the South's information minister.
The U.N. Security Council, however, is blaming both the North and the South for the current conflict. In a statement released Sunday, the council said the Southern forces had attacked the convoy of Northern soldiers, and the North had escalated the confrontation by occupying Abyei.
Both sides have claimed the town of Abyei because of its fertile region and numerous oil fields. The dispute over the region has been the cause of a great deal of violence. Right now it may be a civil war, but in a couple of months, Southern Sudan will be its very own country. What will they do then? We hope the two sides can come to a resolution soon, or else the South's decision to secede will be pointless.
Read more at the Huffington Post.
In other news: Diddy Name Changes — Again.
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