Washington, DC – The recent increase in fighting in the Abyei region and the suspension of peace talks between the governments of north and south Sudan has exposed further obstacles on the path to peace in Sudan, Refugees International (RI) said today. A team who just returned from the country expressed deep concern over the rising tensions. The organization urged parties to immediately resolve the status of Abyei and other outstanding issues from the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, including a strong citizenship agreement for southerners in the north and northerners in the south. RI is also calling for increased support to hundreds of thousands of southerners who have returned home.   

“The latest violence and political stalemate highlight the danger of leaving crucial issues unresolved between north and south Sudan,” said Andrea Lari, Regional Director for Refugees International. “The referendum for independence in Southern Sudan was an extraordinary exercise of democracy. But these obstacles must be addressed immediately, if we want to avert another humanitarian crisis.”

According to a field report released today, “Sudan: Overcoming Obstacles to Peace,” some 38,000 people have returned to the Abyei administrative area since November 2010, with the population of the town of Abyei doubling in size. Yet, the recent fighting uprooted 20,000 people who took refuge in Agok and neighboring villages. The report highlights the enormous struggles that southerners have already faced in returning to the south from Khartoum – including lack of transportation to their home communities and a lack of access to land and job opportunities when they arrive.

“Southerners have flocked home, but it is impossible for them to build new lives when they are once again forced to flee more violence,” continued Lari. “If we want to see a lasting peace in Sudan, the status of Abyei must be resolved quickly and southerners who have returned home must receive increased support. The rainy season is fast approaching, which will only worsen the humanitarian situation.”

Overall, 250,000 people have returned to Southern Sudan from the north since the end of October and another 400,000 to 500,000 are expected by August.  Much of this movement has been prompted by people’s concerns over their legal status after July. RI is calling for the governments of north and south to develop a citizenship agreement that is based on objective criteria, protects the right to work and own property, and safeguards freedom of cultural and religious expression.

RI also noted that the increase in violence in Abyei reinforces the need for the UN Security Council to ensure that UN peacekeepers remain there with the mandate and resources to effectively protect civilians.. Until a broader agreement on Abyei is reached, RI encouraged the parties and local leaders to honor the January 2011 Kadugli agreements, which began to address community grievances.

Refugees International is a Washington, DC-based organization that advocates to end refugee crises and receives no government or UN funding. Refugees International assessed the needs of displaced people in Khartoum, Kosti, Abyei, and Southern Sudan in February 2011. For more information, go to www.refugeesinternational.org.

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For Immediate Release: March 16, 2011

Contact: Megan Fowler, +1-202-828-0110 x214

megan@refugeesinternational.org