The report, drafted in cooperation with the Harvard Carr Center in the
United States, said Bashir sent main battle tanks, armored personnel
carriers, mobile artillery and other weapons platforms in Abyei. Most of the
military weaponry was said to be focused on the town of Abyei. In the
photographs, at least 10 MBTs were seen in the center of Abyei.
The northern Sudanese army also destroyed the Banton Bridge south of
Abyei, which has fallen into the Kiir River, expected to swell with the
onset of the rainy season. The report said this
would block access for those who sought to return to their homes in wake of
the Khartoum invasion of the oil-rich region.
"Sudanese government forces are poised next to push Southern Sudanese
troops out of Blue Nile and the Nuba Mountains," John Prendergast, a founder
of the Enough Project, said. "Along with the military occupation of Abyei,
the Khartoum regime is laying the groundwork for a takeover of oil fields
near Sudan's north-south border, its ultimate objective."
On May 21, the Sudanese military began its assault on Abyei and drove
out forces loyal to the southern government in Juba. Six days later, the
army declared an end to operations and called on residents to return home.
"If there are no consequences for these violations of the North-South
peace deal and for the war crimes being committed in Abyei, the likelihood
of full-scale war increases daily," Prendergast said on May 29.
ShareThis
