As South Sudan inches closer to formal independence in July, fighting has escalated between ethnic southern and northern tribes in the disputed province of Abyei. Indeed, a long and bitter history of conflict exists between north and south over this oil-rich region.
By Daniel Ooko for ISN Insights
Situated along the yet-to-be defined north-south border of Sudan, the disputed oil- and water-rich province of Abyei is an explosive mix of ethnic tensions, ambiguously defined boundaries and age-old suspicions and resentments. Abyei contains rich pastureland, water and one significant oilfield - Defra, part of a block run by the Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company (GNPOC), a consortium led by China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). North and south have fought bitterly over the region through decades of civil war, and continued to clash there even after the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which paved the way for the creation of a South Sudanese state...[continued]
