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| Sudan's Abyei dispute: US aid warning | Sudan's Abyei dispute: US aid warning |
| (3 days later) | |
| North Sudan has put at risk possible debt relief worth billions of dollars by seizing the disputed town of Abyei, US envoy Princeton Lyman has said. | North Sudan has put at risk possible debt relief worth billions of dollars by seizing the disputed town of Abyei, US envoy Princeton Lyman has said. |
| It had also jeopardized negotiations due to be resolved before South Sudan's independence in July, he said. | It had also jeopardized negotiations due to be resolved before South Sudan's independence in July, he said. |
| He added that Washington would find it difficult to remove Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism unless troops were withdrawn from Abyei. | He added that Washington would find it difficult to remove Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism unless troops were withdrawn from Abyei. |
| The UN says Abyei has been looted and set ablaze since its weekend capture. | The UN says Abyei has been looted and set ablaze since its weekend capture. |
| Some 20,000 people, almost the whole population of the town, have fled. | Some 20,000 people, almost the whole population of the town, have fled. |
| South Sudan's secession follows decades of north-south conflict and some fear the dispute over Abyei, which both sides claim, could reignite the war. | South Sudan's secession follows decades of north-south conflict and some fear the dispute over Abyei, which both sides claim, could reignite the war. |
| The 2005 peace deal ended 22 years of civil war in which some 1.5 million died. | The 2005 peace deal ended 22 years of civil war in which some 1.5 million died. |
| A UN Security Council delegation is due to hold talks on Tuesday with Salva Kiir, president of the south, in the southern capital of Juba. | A UN Security Council delegation is due to hold talks on Tuesday with Salva Kiir, president of the south, in the southern capital of Juba. |
| 'Important steps' | 'Important steps' |
| The US placed Sudan on its list of state sponsors of terrorism in 1993 and imposed sanctions four years later. | The US placed Sudan on its list of state sponsors of terrorism in 1993 and imposed sanctions four years later. |
| In the past it has suggested a peaceful transition to independence for the south and a negotiated solution to the separate conflict in Darfur could normalise relations. | In the past it has suggested a peaceful transition to independence for the south and a negotiated solution to the separate conflict in Darfur could normalise relations. |
| Mr Lyman, the US envoy to Sudan, said Washington has been working with the World Bank on whether to relieve Sudan's debt, estimated at $38bn (£23.5bn). | Mr Lyman, the US envoy to Sudan, said Washington has been working with the World Bank on whether to relieve Sudan's debt, estimated at $38bn (£23.5bn). |
| He said the government was also considering naming a full ambassador in Khartoum after the south's secession on 9 July, Reuters news agency reports. | He said the government was also considering naming a full ambassador in Khartoum after the south's secession on 9 July, Reuters news agency reports. |
| "All of these are important steps of normalisation. They can't be fulfilled if we don't" meet the conditions of the peace deal, AFP news agency quotes My Lyman as saying. | "All of these are important steps of normalisation. They can't be fulfilled if we don't" meet the conditions of the peace deal, AFP news agency quotes My Lyman as saying. |
| "If we don't have Abyei being negotiated, rather than occupied, it'll be hard to move forward on those items." | "If we don't have Abyei being negotiated, rather than occupied, it'll be hard to move forward on those items." |
| Mr Lyman said the north and south must find a resolution to their outstanding issues, which includes division of future oil revenues. | Mr Lyman said the north and south must find a resolution to their outstanding issues, which includes division of future oil revenues. |
| "This is not a marriage made in heaven," Reuters news agency quotes him as saying. | "This is not a marriage made in heaven," Reuters news agency quotes him as saying. |
| "The two may not kiss on the cheek but they do have to shake hands. They need each other, that's the reality." | "The two may not kiss on the cheek but they do have to shake hands. They need each other, that's the reality." |
| Meanwhile, the Kenyan negotiator of the 2005 peace deal, Gen Lazaro Sumbeiywo, told the BBC's Network Africa programme that he blamed a lack of political will on both sides for failing to resolve tensions over Abyei. | Meanwhile, the Kenyan negotiator of the 2005 peace deal, Gen Lazaro Sumbeiywo, told the BBC's Network Africa programme that he blamed a lack of political will on both sides for failing to resolve tensions over Abyei. |
| "Abyei should be made an independent kingdom, with hindsight I can say that very clearly," he said, adding that the UN could continue to provide its security. | "Abyei should be made an independent kingdom, with hindsight I can say that very clearly," he said, adding that the UN could continue to provide its security. |
| Tension over Abyei - a small town claimed by a southern group, the Dinka Ngok, and northern nomads, the Misseriya - has been rising since a referendum on its future scheduled for January was postponed. | Tension over Abyei - a small town claimed by a southern group, the Dinka Ngok, and northern nomads, the Misseriya - has been rising since a referendum on its future scheduled for January was postponed. |
| Since then there have been fears that clashes in the region could spark a new war between the Khartoum-based government of Sudan and the soon-to-be independent South Sudan. | Since then there have been fears that clashes in the region could spark a new war between the Khartoum-based government of Sudan and the soon-to-be independent South Sudan. |
| Under the 2005 peace agreement, Abyei was granted special status and a joint administration was set up in 2008. | Under the 2005 peace agreement, Abyei was granted special status and a joint administration was set up in 2008. |
| Sudan: A country divided Show regions | Sudan: A country divided Show regions |
| The great divide across Sudan is visible even from space, as this Nasa satellite image shows. The northern states are a blanket of desert, broken only by the fertile Nile corridor. Southern Sudan is covered by green swathes of grassland, swamps and tropical forest. | The great divide across Sudan is visible even from space, as this Nasa satellite image shows. The northern states are a blanket of desert, broken only by the fertile Nile corridor. Southern Sudan is covered by green swathes of grassland, swamps and tropical forest. |
| Sudan's arid northern regions are home mainly to Arabic-speaking Muslims. But in Southern Sudan there is no dominant culture. The Dinkas and the Nuers are the largest of more than 200 ethnic groups, each with its own traditional beliefs and languages. | Sudan's arid northern regions are home mainly to Arabic-speaking Muslims. But in Southern Sudan there is no dominant culture. The Dinkas and the Nuers are the largest of more than 200 ethnic groups, each with its own traditional beliefs and languages. |
| The health inequalities in Sudan are illustrated by infant mortality rates. In Southern Sudan, one in 10 children die before their first birthday. Whereas in the more developed northern states, such as Gezira and White Nile, half of those children would be expected to survive. | The health inequalities in Sudan are illustrated by infant mortality rates. In Southern Sudan, one in 10 children die before their first birthday. Whereas in the more developed northern states, such as Gezira and White Nile, half of those children would be expected to survive. |
| The gulf in water resources between north and south is stark. In Khartoum, River Nile, and Gezira states, two-thirds of people have access to piped drinking water and pit latrines. In the south, boreholes and unprotected wells are the main drinking sources. More than 80% of southerners have no toilet facilities whatsoever. | The gulf in water resources between north and south is stark. In Khartoum, River Nile, and Gezira states, two-thirds of people have access to piped drinking water and pit latrines. In the south, boreholes and unprotected wells are the main drinking sources. More than 80% of southerners have no toilet facilities whatsoever. |
| Throughout Sudan, access to primary school education is strongly linked to household earnings. In the poorest parts of the south, less than 1% of children finish primary school. Whereas in the wealthier north, up to 50% of children complete primary level education. | Throughout Sudan, access to primary school education is strongly linked to household earnings. In the poorest parts of the south, less than 1% of children finish primary school. Whereas in the wealthier north, up to 50% of children complete primary level education. |
| Conflict and poverty are the main causes of food insecurity in Sudan. The residents of war-affected Darfur and Southern Sudan are still greatly dependent on food aid. Far more than in northern states, which tend to be wealthier, more urbanised and less reliant on agriculture. | Conflict and poverty are the main causes of food insecurity in Sudan. The residents of war-affected Darfur and Southern Sudan are still greatly dependent on food aid. Far more than in northern states, which tend to be wealthier, more urbanised and less reliant on agriculture. |
| Sudan exports billions of dollars of oil per year. Southern states produce more than 80% of it, but receive only 50% of the revenue, exacerbating tensions with the north. The oil-producing region of Abyei was due to hold a separate vote on whether to join the north or the south, but it has been postponed indefinitely. |