UNSC calls on Sudan to withdraw troops from Abyei

The UN Security Council has demanded that the Government of Sudan withdraw immediately from Abyei, the disputed area which is contested by both north and south Sudan. A statement from the 15-nation Security Council issued last night, called Sudan’s military operations in Abyei a "serious violation" of a 2005 peace accord that ended two decades of civil war with the south in which two million people died. "The council demands that the government of Sudan withdraw immediately from the Abyei area. The council further demands the immediate withdrawal of all military elements from Abyei," said the statement. Abyei has become a new source of tension as the south heads toward a formal proclamation of independence on July 9. The statement echoed remarks made by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who last month called on "both parties to cease their military operations, withdraw all forces and armed elements from the Abyei Area, and desist from further acts of aggression, including attacks on UN peacekeepers."