Sudan internal conflict (2011–present)

Sudan internal conflict (2011–present)
Map of Sudan with the areas of conflict as of December 2011 in red.
Date 19 May 2011 – ongoing (1 year, 11 months, 4 weeks and 1 day) Location Blue Nile and Kordofan, Sudan; Abyei; some spillover into South Sudan
Belligerents
Sudan People's Armed Forces Anti-SPLA Forces	Sudan Revolutionary Front Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North Justice and Equality Movement Sudan Liberation Army Supported by: Ethiopia (alleged)
Commanders and leaders
Omar al-Bashir Ibrahim Balandiya †	Abdelaziz al-Hilu Malik Agar Khalil Ibrahim †
Strength
200,000	45,000 SPLM-N 35,000 JEM
Casualties and losses
3,432 killed	653 killed
1,500 killed overall (by September 2011; UN claim) 643 killed overall (by October 2012; government claim)

Map of Sudan (after 2011)

The Sudan internal conflict is an ongoing conflict in the early 2010s between the Army of Sudan and the Sudan Revolutionary Front, particularly the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), a northern affiliate of the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement in South Sudan. The conflict started as a dispute over the oil-rich region of Abyei in the months leading up to South Sudanese independence, though it is also related to the nominally resolved war in Darfur. The conflict is estimated to affect a total of 1.4 million people, and to have displaced over 200,000 people.

In early September 2011, Sudanese forces clashed with the SPLM-N in Blue Nile state, seizing control of the state capital of Ad-Damazin and ousting Governor Malik Agar, the leader of the SPLM-N's Blue Nile branch. Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) militants allied with the SPLM-N marched into the state of North Kordofan in December 2011, sparking confrontations with the Sudanese military that led to the death of the JEM's leader, Khalil Ibrahim. The spread of the conflict has sparked concerns that the fighting could lead to a third Sudanese civil war.

Background

Although South Kordofan is north of the international border separating Sudan and South Sudan, many of its residents (particularly in the Nuba Mountains) identify with the South. Many residents fought on the side of southern rebels during the long civil war.

South Kordofan was not allowed to participate in the January 2011 referendum to create South Sudan, and the "popular consultation" process they were promised also failed to take place.

Tensions rose around the status of the Abyei Area, an oil-rich region that was statutorily part of both South Kordofan and Northern Bahr el Ghazal states, in May 2011 ahead of South Sudan's scheduled independence. As South Kordofan was slated to remain with the North while Northern Bahr el Ghazal was seceding together with the rest of what was then Southern Sudan, the status of Abyei was unclear, and both Khartoum and Juba claimed the area as their own.

The conflict is widely viewed as connected to the 2012 South Sudan–Sudan border conflict.

Conflict

May–June 2011

On 19 May 2011, militants reportedly affiliated with the Sudan People's Liberation Army attacked a convoy of mixed Sudanese Army and UNMIS vehicles 10 km north of Abyei town as they withdrew from the area's administrative centre, drawing sharp condemnation from both the Sudanese government and the United Nations.

At least 15 Sudanese tanks entered Abyei town on 20 May, beginning large-scale fighting in Abyei. By 22 May, the Sudanese military had seized control of the town, and most of Abyei's residents had fled south toward Bahr el Ghazal. Both the Sudanese government and the government of Southern Sudan accused one another of violating the terms of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

On 6 June 2011, armed conflict broke out between the forces of Northern and Southern Sudan in broader South Kordofan state, ahead of the scheduled independence of the South on 9 July. The Northern army said that SPLA launched an attack on a police station and stole weapons prompting a response. The SPLA claimed that the Northern army attempted to disarm their units by force.

On 14 June, the UN accused the Sudanese government of carrying out an "intensive bombing campaign" near the north-south border which has led to "huge suffering" for civilians in South Kordofan. Some 140,000 people have fled the fighting. Aid agency offices have been looted, churches have been ransacked and buildings destroyed. Aid workers say that ethnic Nubans are being targeted by the northern military and Arab militias. This was denied by Rabbie Abdelattif Ebaid, an adviser to Sudan's information minister, who said that only rebel fighters were being targeted.

On 15 June, US President Barack Obama called for a ceasefire urging both the North and South to "live up to their responsibilities" to prevent a return to civil war. The head of the worldwide Anglican church, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said: "The humanitarian challenge is already great, and the risk of another Darfur situation, with civilian populations at the mercy of government-supported terror, is a real one".

On 19 June, Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir accused the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (northern sector) (SPLM-N) of "betrayal" in South Kordofan. "If they want war...we will show them practically like what happened in Abyei and South Kordofan" Bashir said. "It is better that they [SPLM-N] come to us in good terms and we will be better than them," he added. The Northern Army said that it would continue its military campaign in South Kordofan, which included aerial bombardment, until it crushes the rebellion led by former deputy governor and leading SPLM-N figure Abdelaziz al-Hilu. Fighting intensified around the state capital of Kadugli.

July–August 2011

Fighting continued after South Sudan gained independence on 9 July, though the Sudanese government insisted that order had been restored in South Kordofan proper.

A UN report leaked on 18 July documented alleged war crimes in South Kordofan, blaming both sides but reserving many of its heaviest accusations for the Sudanese government. The following day, UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos called for an independent investigation into atrocities possibly committed during the conflict. Amos said the government of Sudan should lift its restrictions on access to the region. The alleged human rights abuses include "forced disappearances, targeting of UN staff and summary executions."

Blue Nile Governor Malik Agar, the leader of the SPLM-N, warned that a wider war could develop unless the conflict ends quickly. Agar claimed that rebel groups across Sudan could join forces and march on Khartoum. His argument appeared to be bolstered by the declaration of the Justice and Equality Movement, the largest rebel group in Darfur, that it had joined forces with the SPLM-N in South Kordofan for the first time on 19 July. A JEM spokesman said 150 Sudanese soldiers were killed while three JEM fighters had been captured. The Sudanese government claimed it had no evidence of JEM participation in the conflict and that the situation in South Kordofan was calm. However, a JEM leader among the militants captured was later sentenced to death by hanging, state-run media reported on 27 August. Around the same time, the Sudan Tribune reported that the SPLM-N, the JEM, and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) had formed a tentative alliance to resist the federal government in Khartoum.

September–December 2011

On 1 September, SPLM-N rebels in South Kordofan claimed the military was deliberately destroying crops and farms belonging to the Nuba people in an attempt to starve the state into submission. Meanwhile, state-run media claimed SPLM-N guerrillas killed 17 civilians, including children, and wounded 14 in the Kalugi region of South Kordofan the same day.

A spokesman for the Sudanese military said that SPLM-N militants attacked army positions in Ad-Damazin, the capital of Blue Nile state, late on 1 September. Governor Malik Agar disputed this account, saying the army attacked Blue Nile state institutions first, including his official residence. The military quickly took control of Ad-Damazin, and Khartoum sacked Agar and replaced him with a military governor. Agar and his allies regrouped in southern Blue Nile. On 2 September, the federal government declared a state of emergency in the state. The Sudanese Air Force reportedly carried out strike missions, bombing SPLM-N villages and towns. The SPLM-N claimed four civilians were killed in an aerial bombing of Kormok.

The SPLM-N's Darfuri allies, the JEM and the SLM, issued a joint statement on 4 September condemning the Sudanese military's use of force against the SPLM-N in Blue Nile, calling it a plot to spread "chaos and killing" across the country. They also called on the United Nations Security Council to impose a no-fly zone over Blue Nile, Darfur, and South Kordofan.

Helicopters, Antonov An-26s, MiG-29s and other aircraft at El Obeid Airbase where the SAF are believed to be attacking from.

The Sudanese military claimed on 10 September to have broken an SPLM-N "siege" of Qiessan, near the Ethiopian border, and evacuated its wounded from the town, though it was unclear whether they took control of Qiessan outright or just escaped from the area. Both Agar and Yahia Mohamed Kheir, the military governor appointed by Bashir, claimed control of 80 percent of Blue Nile state. Meanwhile, the Sudanese government said 5,000 people had fled their homes in Blue Nile as a result of the fighting, and Information Minister Sana Hamad al-Awad claimed it had proof the South Sudanese government was paying the salaries of SPLM-N fighters across the border.

The Sudanese military seized control of Kurmuk, the former stronghold of the SPLM-N in Blue Nile state, on 2 November. President Omar al-Bashir visited the town four days later to declare it "liberated". He also threatened South Sudan with war, accusing it of supporting the SPLM-N in its anti-government activities.

On 10 November, it was reported that the Sudanese government bombed Yida camp in South Sudan's Unity state soon after 12:00 GMT the same day. Two Antonov makeshift bombers were seen leaving the area. They were said to have dropped five bombs, four detonating. The local official Miabek Lang said at least 12 people had been killed and 20 wounded during the strike. The Sudanese government has denied the claims.

Darfuri factions and the SPLM-N in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states announced the formation of an alliance called the Sudanese Revolutionary Front on 12 November. The stated goal of the coalition is to overthrow the Bashir government and install a democratic system in Sudan.

SPLM-N fighters in South Kordofan reported turning back Sudanese army elements attempting to dislodge them from positions in Warni on 10 December, as well as the capture of the localities of Abu al-Hassan and al-Rashad three days earlier. The battles left 19 dead, a spokesman for the rebel group claimed.

By 12 December, fighting had shifted to Taruje, near the international border with South Sudan. In a related skirmish, South Sudanese and Sudanese regular divisions clashed at Jau, a disputed town on the border, in what a Sudanese army spokesman described as a victory for Khartoum's soldiers.

On 21 and 22 December, students began protesting at the University of Khartoum and the Red Sea University in a flare-up of anti-government protests that began in January. A number of Darfuri students at the Red Sea University threatened to leave in protest after several student leaders were arrested late on 21 December, and by 25 December, they had declared their allegiance to the Sudan Revolutionary Front and were calling for the overthrow of the Sudanese government. Several students at the University of Khartoum, including at least one Darfuri student association head, were taken into custody by security troops on 22 December after a multiethnic protest against the Merowe Dam in solidarity with the Manasir facing displacement as a result of its construction. The students in Khartoum also began agitating for the government's ouster on 24 December, following the clashes and arrests on campus two days earlier.

On 25 December, Justice and Equality Movement leader Khalil Ibrahim was intercepted and killed along with 30 of his fighters in North Kordofan, west of Wad Banda. Sudanese state media reported Ibrahim was defeated in fighting with the army. JEM confirmed Ibrahim's death, but said he had been killed by an airstrike, not in combat with Sudanese ground troops. Ibrahim's death came one day after JEM fighters struck three villages in the state.

January–February 2012

By early January, reports of malnutrition and hunger increased in the conflict-afflicted zones. According to the United Nations, close to 417,000 people had been displaced, including 80,000 who fled to South Sudan.

On February 26, rebels from the recently-formed Sudan Revolutionary Front claimed to have killed up to 130 Sudanese soldiers in an attack on a Sudanese army garrison around Lake Obyad, near the border with South Sudan.

March 2012

Main article: 2012 South Sudan–Sudan border conflict

South Sudan accused the north of bombing two Southern oil wells using its air force on 1 March, destroying both structures, allegations the north denied. The incident raised fears that war could break out between the two countries.

On 26 March, the Sudanese air force bombed areas of Unity state in South Sudan, and sent army and militia forces across the border. South Sudanese forces counter-attacked and seized control of the Heglig oil fields as South Sudan's President Salva Kiir warned of war.

On March 30, more fighting was reported in the border area between the Sudanese Army and rebels.

April 2012

On 12 and 13 April, the rebels claimed to had killed 79 government troops and captured another nine in two ambushes in the mountainous terrain, about 35 kilometres south of the Blue Nile state capital of Ed Damazin. For their part they stated three of their fighters were killed and seven wounded in the fighting. The government had no comment on the claim. The previous week the rebels also stated that they killed 13 soldiers for the loss of one rebel in an ambush 20 kilometres (12 miles) south of Ed Damazin. The government denied those losses.

On 15 April, government troops took control of Mugum, a stronghold of the pro-southern rebels, in the Blue Nile state, near South Sudan's border. The government news service claimed, per an "informed" military source, that 25 rebels were killed.

July 2012

On 3 July, 25 soldiers were killed in battle with rebels. On 6 July, a state official of Sudan was killed among 7 others in an attack on a government convoy. Ibrahim Balandiya, South Kordofan’s parliament speaker, was attacked between two villages in the region. He is the most senior official to be killed during the whole conflict, according to state news agencies. Sudan blamed SPLM-N for the attack which also killed another state official. The other official was Faisal Bashir, the head of South Kordofan's strategic planning committee, according to SUNA. On 24 July, Sudan army says that they killed 50 JEM rebels and destroyed several vehicles, but this was denied by the rebels On 23 July, Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) clashed with government forces and militia in Kirkdy, South Kordofan and in Alhtbaun, North Kordofan. Rebels say that they killed or wounded dozens of government troops since the clashes started and they took control of two tanks and 20 vehicles.

August–September 2012

On 25 August, Sudanese army claim to have killed 12 rebels and wounded dozens in the south of the country. The next day rebels claim that also 61 SAF soldiers were killed. On 6 September, Sudanese army claim to have killed 77 rebels in two clashes in South Kordofan. The same day 61 Sudanese soldiers and 32 rebels werw killed in Fanga area, East Jebel Marra. Also 45 corpses of government forces and militias and many burnt-out cars were found. On clashes erupted in 7 September government forces were able to evacuate 85 bodies and 25 injured soldiers in large trucks also 32 rebels. On 20 September, rebels announced that 81 Sudanese soldiers were killed in clashes in Kolghe, East Jebel Marra, North Darfur. Adam Saleh Abkar, said they killed dozens of SAF soldiers and pro-government militias on Tuesday morning. He explained the government forces fighting on the ground were backed by the Sudanese air force. Adam Saleh Abkar, spokesman of SLM-Minnawi announced that joint rebel troops killed and injured dozens Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers and pro-government militia troops. The clashes took place between Tabit and Shangil Tobai, East Jebel Marra, North Darfur, on Thursday, 27 September. On 30 September, rebels announced that 70 rebels and 12 government soldiers were killed in ecent clashes between Tabit and Shangil Tobai, in East Jebel Marra, North Darfur. Also 84 government troops were killed and several got injured in other battle.

October 2012

On 1 October, rebels announced the killing of 22 Sudanese government troops who were in a convoy traveling from Ribeige locality in North Kordofan to Al-Aiyd Jaranebi locality, in North Darfur. On 9 October, A gunman was killed during clashes between pro-government militias at Mawashi market in Kabkabiya, North Darfur. On 11 October an armed group killed a policeman and injured four others in Nyala, South Darfur,two militants also got killed and another two were arrested. On 14 October, rebels killed 21 government troops and seven pro-government militia elements in a battle against government forces in South Kordofan. On 15 October, rebels announced liberating the area of Surkum in Blue Nile state after a battle against government troops, which lasted four days, on Sunday afternoon October 14, Radio Dabanga has learned. Arnu Ngutolo Lodi, SPLA-N military spokesman, told Radio Dabanga that SRF troops managed to clear the area of Surkum and that the government troops suffered heavy losses during the battles. The governor of South Kordofan, Ahmed Haroun, said that rebel forces attacked the village of Umm Dehelib, in Kalogi locality on Sunday morning.Haroun explained that government forces responded to the rebel attack and killed 12 rebel elements, injured another dozen and captured one. He added that four citizens were killed during the battle. On the same day government and JEM clash in South Kordofan, dozens of government soldiers were killed including the force commander. The rebels destroyed three army vehicles and seized two another two that were carrying large quantities ammunition and weapons. On 22 October, SPLM-N rebels killed 6 government soldiers. On 18 October, rebels killed dozens of pro-government militiamen in the area of Abu Delek southeast of El-Fasher. On 31 October, SPLM-N rebels killed 30 Sudanese soldiers.

November 2012

On 7 November, clashes between JEM and SAF left 3 rebels and between 144 and 157 government soldiers in North Kordofan. SPLM-N Rebels killed 70 soldiers in 3 November, also 7 rebels were killed.

Human rights

Ahmed Haron

Sometime during March an undated video emerged of the Governor of South Kordofan Ahmed Haroun telling Sudanese soldiers: "You must hand over the place clean. Rub it, crush it and sweep it. Don’t bring them [Rebels] back alive. We have no space for them". An army commander standing near Haroun then says: "Don’t bring them back, eat them alive" amid laughter by the group in the video. Haroun follows with "Don’t create an administrative burden for us [by bringing back prisoners alive]".

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay warned that the comments by the Governor could amount to "violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states". She followed with "Such comments are extremely worrying in this context and could amount to incitement.".

The Sudanese Government has since claimed that Mr. Haroun, who has already been indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his alleged role in the previous conflict in Darfur, was simply trying to boost the soldiers’ morale. Mr Haron however, has called the video a fabrication, accusing al-Jazeera of editing the video to distort what he had said and vowed to sue the news channel.

Ms. Pillay said that witnesses who have visited the Nuba mountain region, mainly inhabited by the Nuba people and located in Southern Kordofan, have been reporting the burning of villages and killing of civilians in "an apparent scorched-earth policy." "We know very little about the scale of the military operation in Southern Kordofan, as we have been denied access to the area," she said. "But as far back as August last year, we found that human rights violations that could amount to crimes against humanity or war crimes have taken place in Southern Kordofan.".

Emigration

Following what Yasir Arman, leader of SPLA-N and the UN have described as a "scorched earth policy" more than 105,000 Sudanese refugees from the states of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile have sought refuge in South Sudan. An additional 30,000 refugees fled Blue Nile into nearby Ethiopia.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and its partners started providing basic assistance to more than 16,000 refugees who settled in Yida, South Sudan, after fleeing violence in the Nuba Mountains region, located in Sudan's Southern Kordofan state. Another 2,300 refugees have so far moved southwards to safer sites in Nyeel and Pariang to another UNHCR camps. Meanwhile, in South Sudan's Upper Nile state, where an influx of refugees from Sudan's Blue Nile state is continuing, relocation from border zones has been ongoing. About 86,000 Sudanese refugees fleeing attacks in Blue Nile state have relocated to the safety of formal sites in Doro and Jammam, Ms. Fleming said.

However since the beginning of Sudanese border conflict in 2012 the UNHCR now considers the Yida refugee settlement as not safe for long-term stay due to its proximity to the volatile border zone. South Sudan authorities at central and local level are also urging refugee leaders to relocate, in line with the provisions of the 1969 OAU (now AU) Convention on Refugees. Article 2 stipulates that "for reasons of security, countries of asylum shall, as far as possible, settle refugees at a reasonable distance from the frontier of their country of origin".

Attempts at resolution

Abyei agreement

In June 2011, an African Union panel headed by former South African president Thabo Mbeki tried to de-escalate the situation through North-South talks in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. On 20 June, the parties agreed to demilitarize the contested area of Abyei where Ethiopian peacekeepers will be deployed. The agreement details the mechanism by which the Abyei administration council to replace the one dissolved by president Omer Hassan al-Bashir in May 2011. Its chief shall be picked by the SPLM but must be approved by the Northern National Congress Party (NCP). The deputy however, would be nominated by the NCP and endorsed by SPLM. Three of the five heads of the departments of the administrative council would be nominated by the SPLM and the remaining two by the NCP. A police service would be established for the region, with the size and composition determined by a joint committee co-chaired by northern and southern officials. The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon welcomed the accord but said the real test would be how both sides would implement the deal.

On 21 June, a statement was attributed to the NCP’s official in charge of Abyei file, Didiri Mohamed Ahmed, as saying that there was an understanding reached at the Addis Ababa meeting between the two parties that South Sudan would concede future ownership of Abyei to the North. However, the spokesman of SPLA, Philip Aguer, told the press that the statement from the NCP senior official was incorrect.

August ceasefire

On 23 August, President Omar al-Bashir announced a two-week unilateral ceasefire in the conflict while on a surprise visit to South Kordofan state. He said the government would continue to embargo foreign aid directed toward South Kordofan, and the only humanitarian access would be through the Sudanese Red Crescent. He said that after the two-week ceasefire, "the situation will be assessed on the ground".

Casualities

Date	Rebel fatalities	Government fatalities	Detail
19July 2011	3 captured	150 killed
25December	30 killed	none	Bombing of rebel Convoy
26 February 2012	None	130 killed	Attack on army garrison
March		256 killed	conflict between SAF and SPLA
12-13 April	3 killed	79 killed	Ambushes in the Mountains
April	1 killed	13 killed	Fighting in Ed Damazin
15 April	25 killed	none	Government capture of Mugum
3 July	none	25 killed
6 July	none	8 killed	Attack on government convoy
24 July	50 killed	none	Attack on JEM rebels
25 August	12 killed	none	Fighting in south of the country
26 August	none	61 killed
6 September	77 killed	none	Fighting in south Kordofan
6 September	32 killed	61 killed plus 45 corpses found	Fighting in Fanga area
7 September	32 killed	85 killed
20 September	none	81 soldiers	Fighting in Kolghe
30 September	70 killed	96 killed	Battles in Tabit and Shangil Tobai
1 0ctober	none	22 killed	Attack on government convoy
14 October	none	21 soldiers and 7 militia killed	Battle in South Kordofan
October	12 killed	none	Rebel attack in Umm Dehelib
22 October	none	6 killed	Fighting between SPLM-N and SAF
31 October	none	30 killed	Fighting between SPLM-N and SAF
3 November	7 killed	70 killed	Fighting between SPLM-N and SAF
7 November	3 killed	144-157 killed	Fighting in North Kordofan
8 November	none	10 killed	SPLM-N ambush
9 November	none	100 killed	Clashes in Wadi Murrah
14 November	none	23 killed	Fighting in army camp in Alhigairat
23 November	none	83 killed	Fighting in Ed el-Nabq
5 December	2 killed	none	SAF capture of El- Fasher
10 December	3 killed	27 killed	Fighting in Daldoko
15 December	none	12 killed
15 December	none	8 killed	Dispute between SAF soldiers
17 December	none	18 killed	Attack on army convoy in Kabkabiya
16 December	none	27 killed	Wrong SAF airstrike in Bir Jaber
19 December	none	20 killed	Rebel attack on army base in Jebel Moon
23 December	7 killed	90 killed	Battle in Golo
28 December	2 killed	47 killed	Two rebel attacks on SAF garrisons in Darfur
7 January 2013	5 killed	70 killed	Fighting in Central Darfur
13 January	50 killed	none	Clashes in South Kordofan
13 January	2 killed	25 killed	Clash in south Darfur
5 February	5 killed	52 killed	Battle in Central Darfur
6 February	3 killed	123 killed	Rebel seizure of army base in Central Darfur
11 February	none	39 killed	Clashes in Central Darfur
13 February	none	87 killed	Battle in South Darfur
19 February	66 killed	none	Clashes in Kordofan
24 February	none	17 killed	Clash in North Darfur
5 March	none	25 killed	Rebel offensive in North Darfur
11 March	40 killed	16 killed	Clashes in Blue Nile
14 March	3 killed	260 killed	Clashes in South Darfur
17 March	100 killed and injured	many	Clashes in South Darfur
7 April	several	100 killed	Clashes in East Darfur
7 April	none	18 killed	Attck on SAF garrison in North Darfur
13 April	none	40 killed	Rebels take South Darfur base
15 April	4 killed	15 killed	Rebels take Dandor garrison
17 April	none	17 killed	Rebels take 2 garrison near Nyala
21 April	none	100 killed	Rebels attack at Nyala airport
23 April	5 killed	89 killed	SAF victory in South Darfur
May	none	60 killed	Clashes in Kordofan
12 May	none	Dozens killed	Rebels destroy a convoy in Kordofan
14 May	Unknow	411 killed	Goverment failed offensive in Abu Karshola

The total is of 3,432 government soldiers and 653 rebels killed. Most Information from Radio Dabanga.

International reactions

Supranational organisations

• African Union – On 29 June, AU Commission Chairperson Jean Ping called on both sides in South Kordofan "to immediately cease hostilities, to allow the access of humanitarian aid and the return of displaced people" and hailed a ceasefire agreement as "decisive" and "a good omen". The AU, led first by former South African President Thabo Mbeki and then by Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, attempted to mediate a solution to growing tensions in Blue Nile, but it failed to prevent the spread of the conflict.

• United Nations – The United Nations Security Council voted on 3 June to demand that Sudan and Southern Sudan withdraw troops from the Abyei Area. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced support for efforts to end the conflict in late June 2011, saying on 29 June that Sudan and the SPLM-N must work quickly for a cessation of hostilities. A United Nations Mission in the Sudan human rights investigation in June and early July, prior to the mission's disbandment, found that "condemnation is insufficient" for the atrocities it said had been committed by the Sudanese military during the fighting, including attacks on UNMIS offices and personnel, though it also criticised the SPLM for violations. In August, the United States attempted to persuade the Security Council to pass a resolution condemning the violence, but it was blocked by Sudanese allies Russia and China. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres responded to the outbreak of violence in Blue Nile in September by saying both sides must work to prevent "yet one more refugee crisis" in the region. Ban also expressed concern over the violence.

Countries

• South Sudan – On 22 May, South Sudan denounced the seizure of Abyei as an "act of war". Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin denied claims by the Sudanese government that Juba was offering material support to SPLM-N fighters in the North on 31 August and asserted that the SPLM had severed all ties with the SPLM-N after independence. He expressed concern at the violence in Blue Nile on 2 September and called on the Sudanese government to launch a full investigation and endeavour to prevent the violence from spreading.

• United States – Having condemned the military takeover of Abyei on 21 March, on 22 July, Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice accused the Sudanese military of perpetrating human rights violations in South Kordofan. Princeton Lyman, the US special envoy to Sudan, said on 10 August that Washington was concerned that fighting could spread to and involve newly independent South Sudan.

• France- On 22 May 2011, France condemned the military takeover and demanded a Sudanese withdrawal from Abyei. France argued that Sudan's actions constituted a violation of 2005 peace agreement and of the Kadugli Accord signed in January, and that the conflict should be mediated by the African Union.

• Canada- On 23 May 2011, the Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister, John Baird, condemned the "recent upsurge of violence in Abyei". Canada called for an immediate withdrawal by both sides, respect for human rights and avoidance of further escalation. Baird added that he hoped "Northern and Southern Sudan" would both "embrace the opportunity afforded by the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel to resolve the status of Abyei and other outstanding issues".

• United Kingdom- On 22 May 2011, Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned the violence, saying that the actions were "clear violations of the CPA and cannot be justified" and calling for "all sides to cease hostilities immediately. All unauthorised forces should be withdrawn from the entire area of Abyei in accordance with past agreements by the parties."

NGOs

Groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have expressed concern about the humanitarian situation.

In May 2012, researchers from the Humanitarian Policy Group at the Overseas Development Institute highlighted that the situation in South Kordofan was approaching crisis levels and called for stronger leadership and engagement from humanitarian actors, as well as a redoubling of diplomatic efforts to restart political dialogue in the hope of securing a lasting and peaceful resolution.

See also

• 2011 South Sudan clashes
• 2011 Sudanese protests
• Second Sudanese Civil War
• War in Darfur

External links

• Sudan Tribune:Kordofan
• BBC:Sudan's South Kordofan: 'Bombings, blood and terror'
• allAfrica.com: Briefing By U.S. Officials On Recent Trips (18 May 2011)