The United Nations this week condemned the deployment of troops from South Sudan into the disputed Abyei region.
Abyei is claimed by both South Sudan and Sudan, and is valuable due to its oil reserves. The region was not awarded to either country in a peace treaty which ended the 2nd Sudanese Civil War and granted South Sudan independence in 2011. A separate referendum was to be held in the region but neither country could agree on who counted as an eligible voter.
In 2011 Sudanese troops seized control of the area, but low-level fighting continued against anti-government groups until 2020 when an agreement was signed promising a federal secular Sudan.
This year renewed clashes have broken out between pro-Southern forces and pro-Northern forces which was followed by the entry of South Sudanese troops into the area in recent weeks.
The UN says it has reinforced its peacekeeping force in the region and is monitoring the situation.
Image by Gidon Pico from Pixabay