U.S. and European media

July 22, 2023

Reuters: Hague court redefines Sudan's Abyei boundaries. An international court redefined the boundaries of the disputed oil-producing Abyei area claimed by both north and south Sudan, but both groups pledged to respect the ruling. The borders of Abyei, often called the "Kashmir" of Sudan's north-south conflict and coveted by both sides, were outlined by an international panel after a 2005 peace agreement that ended more than 20 years of civil war between north and south Sudan. Under the ruling, the eastern border of Abyei was moved to the west, leaving a majority of the area's oil supplies, such as the Heglig oil field, within northern Sudan's area. "We have lost about 4,000 square kilometres. So we think about a minimum of 10,000 square kilometres has been returned to the north. Most importantly this territory includes the disputed oilfields," said Sudan's representative, Dirdeiry Mohamed Ahmed.

BBC: Sudanese accept oil border ruling. The Permanent Court of Arbitration redrew the boundaries of Abyei region, which became a flashpoint during a 22-year-long war between north and south. The judges decided not to abide by the borders proposed after the 2005 peace deal, which the north had rejected. Instead it ruled that several areas - including the Heglig oilfied - were not part of Abyei. Although The Hague court was deciding where Abyei's borders lay rather than who owned the land, analysts say the ruling was crucial in determining the ownership of the oilfields.

Reuters: Ex south Sudan rebels respect Abyei ruling-SPLM's Alor. Sudan's former southern rebels will respect a Hague court ruling on the boundaries of the disputed oil-producing Abyei region, a senior Sudan People's Liberation Movement official said on Wednesday. "SPLM and the people of this area will respect and implement that decision," said Sudanese Foreign Minister Deng Alor, an SPLM official who serves in Sudan's coalition government.

Reuters: Hague court Abyei ruling a "step forward" -Sudan. Sudan's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that a Hague court ruling on the borders of the disputed oil-producing Abyei area was a "step forward," and said the government would respect the decision. "We respect this decision. And this decision is final and binding because all the parties agreed from the beginning that the decision of the court was binding and final. Also, the decision guarantees the rights of Misseriya pastoralists," Sudanese Foreign Ministry undersecretary Mutrif Siddig told Reuters.

AFP: African Union extends Darfur mission. The African Union's peace and security council on Tuesday extended the mandate of its hybrid peacekeeping force in Darfur with the United Nations by one year, a spokesman said. The council "has renewed, without change, the UNAMID (UN-African Union Mission in Darfur) mandate for 12 months, beginning July 31, and asked that the UN do the same," said AU spokesman El Ghassim Wane.

Reuters: Air raid did not touch Sudan army, population-Chad. Chad's armed forces did not attack Sudan's army or population during an air raid on rebels there last week, a Chadian minister said on Tuesday, repeating accusations that Sudan was fuelling the conflict. Khartoum says that last week's raid on Chadian rebels in Um Dukhn, a town in its west Darfur district, was the fourth such incident in two months and on Monday Sudan lodged a complaint to the U.N. Security Council over the incident. "We didn't touch the population or the Sudanese army," Mahamat Hissene, Chad's information minister and government spokesman, told Reuters on Tuesday when asked to give details on the air raid. "Sudan wants to portray itself as the victim but everyone knows that it is Sudan who attacks Chad. It doesn't fool anyone ... It is the continuation of the destabilization of Chad," Hissene added.


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