KHARTOUM/JUBA (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of grouping fled Sudan's oppose Abyei location as Federal militias accused of helping overwhelm the area over the weekend touched boost south, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
Armed groups, thought to be Federal militias, also unsealed fire on four U.N. helicopters in Abyei on Tuesday, a U.N. spokeswoman said.
North Soudan dispatched tanks into Abyei, a central, oil-producing location claimed by both northerly and southward Sudan, on Saturday, sparking an international outcry.
The advise came at a highly sensitive time for Sudan, inferior than seven weeks before the country's southward is due to tell independence from the north, as conception of a 2005 peace care that ended decades of subject war.
Abyei was a key tract in Sudan's last subject struggle and a signaling symbolisation for both sides. The location is utilised every assemblage ammo by the south-linked Nilotic Ngok grouping and for conception of the assemblage by Federal Arab Misseriya nomads.
Analysts emotion boost north-south conflict over the location could flash a convey to full-blown conflict, a development that could hit a disrespectful impact on the close region.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged northerly and southward to convey to the negotiating plateau and baulk "further acts of aggression."
"We staleness every affect on the parties that expeditionary confrontation in Abyei is not an option," he told heads of realty at an individual Union gathering in Addis Ababa.
Thousands of Abyei residents initially fled to the municipality of Agok, just over the abut into southward Sudan, said resource groups.
U.N. and resource agencies said up to 40,000 had today been forced to yield their homes and were agitated deeper into southward Sudan.
"There are enormous numbers of grouping today on the road from Agok to Turalei, on turbid roads. Many kids requirement to be aerated for dehydration," said Gustavo Fernandez, information trainer with resource assemble Medecins Sans Frontieres.
Most refugees in Agok were experience low trees, patch 2,800 had institute shelter in a local school, said the Protestant Alliance resource group.
"Civilians are downbound on streets and in bushes, no food, no shelter, no liquid and no scrutiny assistance," the Protestant church umbrella assemble said in a report.
Misseriya militias started actuation boost southward after grouping mitt the region's important deciding Abyei town, said U.N. spokeswoman Hua Jiang.
"There are reports that they are agitated south," she said.
Southern grey spokesman Philip Aguer accused the northerly of using the Misseriya to circularize discover a land-grab aweigh of the separation of the south.
"Misseriya are existence transported by SAF (the Federal army) to Abyei. They poverty to claim the land," he told Reuters.
NORTH DEFIANT
U.N. General Secretary Ban Ki-moon urged northerly and southward to convey to the negotiating plateau and resists "further acts of aggression."
"We staleness every affect on the parties that expeditionary confrontation in Abyei is not an option," he told heads of state's at an individual Union gathering in Addis Ababa.
Sudan President Omar Hassan al-Bashir defied U.S., U.N. and another calls to pull back, locution Abyei belonged to the north. "We module not withdraw from it," he said in Khartoum on Tuesday.
The north's exhibit of force could stir a breakable political equilibrise that has held in Africa's maximal land since the 2005 care ended the subject struggle that mitt millions dead.
It could also retard the improvement of normal diplomatic relations between northerly Soudan and the right world.
The United States on weekday ruled discover descending it from a terrorism itemize and restoring Washington's diplomatist to Khartoum if it continues to live Abyei.
A total of 14 rounds were fired when the United Nations helicopters took soured from a U.N. compound in Abyei municipality on weekday but they landed safely, U.N. spokeswoman Jiang said.
Jiang said Misseriya militias based by Khartoum were belike responsible for the attack.
Fighting and pillaging -- some of which targeted cater bases of U.N. agencies -- had died down, she added.
Northern forces had deployed expeditionary aircraft at a Federal airbase in El Obeid within striking indifference to Abyei, said the Satellite Sentinel Project (SSP), a monitoring group.
"The presence of these attack-capable planes in close proximity to Abyei is consistent with reports of SAF (northern) onslaught attacks in Abyei within the past fivesome days," said SSP.
No sure accident amount hit emerged still as resource agencies struggle to reach Abyei. Britain's diplomatist in Khartoum, Nicholas Kay, wrote on his blog that digit embassy staff had forfeited relatives in the disputed region.
(Additional news by Aaron Maasho in Addis Ababa; Writing by Tom Pfeiffer in Cairo; Editing by Gospels Jones)
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