ABYEI, Sudan, - Thousands of civilians fled clashes between Sudan's former north-south civil war foes in the oil-rich central town of Abyei on Thursday, local officials said. The clashes, sparked by a local dispute, highlight the tension in an area claimed by both Khartoum and South Sudan. More than three years after a 2005 peace deal, they have not agreed on borders or a local government for the region.Sporadic gunfire could be heard on the second day of clashes and smoke rose from the town. "Most of the civilians have left town. There are about 25,000 east of Abyei," said Malony Tong, a local official from the former southern rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM). "It is not calm".
Around 50 civilians sought refuge at the gates of the U.N. peacekeeping compound and were eventually allowed to enter. International U.N. staff were being evacuated.
Moussa Malei, deputy administrator of Abyei, said the two sides had agreed to deploy joint units to the centre of town to act as a buffer between the two sides. "The orders have been given for the JIUs (joint integrated units) to go into the middle of town," he said. But as the high-level meeting between the former north-south foes ended, heavy shelling could be heard.
Tensions have been high for months between South Sudan and Khartoum over delays in implementing the 2005 peace deal. Each side accuses the other of stalling. The SPLM says more than $1 billion in oil revenues from Abyei has been taken by the ruling National Congress Party rather than shared with the south as the peace deal prescribes.
But despite the clashes in Abyei, north-south relations have improved markedly since an unprecedented attack by Darfur rebels on Khartoum at the weekend, when South Sudan offered military help to the government.