Tension is mounting again in Sudan's oil-rich region of Abyei, following complaints from south Sudanese officials that northern troops have not withdrawn from the area. According to an agreement signed last month, both armies were to fully withdraw from Abyei by June 30 to avoid a repeat of the fighting in May that displaced tens of thousands of civilians. The former rebel force of south Sudan, Sudan People's Liberation Army, also missed the end-of-June deadline to withdraw all of its troops from Abyei.
But the SPLA's Chief of Staff Oyay Ajak Deng tells VOA that while almost 90 percent of his soldiers have been moved out of Abyei town, government troops still remain there in full force.
"They should have started pulling out their forces on the 30th, but we are not seeing any movement on their side," said Deng. "Of course, we are very much concerned. Definitely, there is tension in the area. If they continue to remain there, of course, it will be complicating the matter again."
Abyei, which sits on rich oil fields straddling the north-south border, is claimed by both sides.
Its disputed status has long threatened a fragile peace deal the rebels and Khartoum signed in 2005 to end more than two decades of civil war. An international boundary commission determined that Abyei belongs to the south. But Khartoum has refused to recognize the findings.