Khartoum, Juba Discuss Dispute Over Oil-Rich Border Region

The oil-rich border region of Abyei sits between Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan (Getty Images) and Deputy chief of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in the frame. (AFP)
The oil-rich border region of Abyei sits between Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan (Getty Images) and Deputy chief of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in the frame. (AFP)
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Khartoum, Juba Discuss Dispute Over Oil-Rich Border Region

The oil-rich border region of Abyei sits between Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan (Getty Images) and Deputy chief of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in the frame. (AFP)
The oil-rich border region of Abyei sits between Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan (Getty Images) and Deputy chief of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in the frame. (AFP)

Deputy chief of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo stressed the need for continued coordination and cooperation with South Sudan to build trust and exchange views on how to provide a solid basis for the final solution for the dispute over the Abyei area.

Stressing that resolving the dispute surrounding Abyei is a priority that cannot be delayed, Dagalo said: “Our goal is to attain constructive outcomes that can set the course for a just and enduring peace.”

Sudan and South Sudan are in dispute over the oil-rich region located between Sudan’s Kordofan state and the Red Sea state in South Sudan. The conflict over Abyei has not been resolved since 2011.

An agreement was reached between the two countries to grant the region a temporary status of quasi-independence with the two countries retaining sovereignty until the dispute over its ownership is resolved.

Last year, the countries agreed to establish a joint administration to oversee the region.

At a joint meeting between Sudan and South Sudan on Abyei, Dagalo highlighted the critical conditions that Sudan is experiencing.

He explained that holding the meeting was a priority in terms of appreciating and shedding light on the sensitivity of the Abyei issue and the human suffering that the communities are going through.

Dagalo also noted the importance of the meeting reaching positive results to put Abyei on the path of just and sustainable peace.

“Continued coordination and cooperation between the parties represents a significant opportunity to build trust and exchange opinions on how to provide a solid foundation for a final solution to the issue,” he said.

Dagalo, who also chairs the Supreme Committee for Political and Administrative Oversight of Abyei, stressed that the meeting demonstrated the capability of both countries to collaborate towards achieving peace and stability for the citizens of the region.



Dozens Die of Mysterious Illness in Besieged Sudan Town

FILE PHOTO: Sudanese people, displaced from Jezira state due to RSF violence, sit under a tree in New Halfa, Kassala state, Sudan, November 3, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Sudanese people, displaced from Jezira state due to RSF violence, sit under a tree in New Halfa, Kassala state, Sudan, November 3, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig/File Photo
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Dozens Die of Mysterious Illness in Besieged Sudan Town

FILE PHOTO: Sudanese people, displaced from Jezira state due to RSF violence, sit under a tree in New Halfa, Kassala state, Sudan, November 3, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Sudanese people, displaced from Jezira state due to RSF violence, sit under a tree in New Halfa, Kassala state, Sudan, November 3, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig/File Photo

At least 73 people have died of mysterious causes in the Sudanese town of al-Hilaliya, besieged by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, the Sudanese Doctors Union said late on Wednesday.
It is one of dozens of villages that have come under attack in eastern El Jezira state since the defection of a top RSF commander to the army, which prompted revenge attacks that have displaced more than 135,000 people.
The war between the two forces has created the world's largest humanitarian crisis, displacing more than 11 million and plunging more into hunger while drawing in foreign powers and prompting fears of state collapse, Reuters said.
While high death tolls in other parts of Jezira came as a result of RSF shelling and gunfire, in Hilaliya people have fallen ill with diarrhea, overwhelming a local hospital according to the union and three people from the area.
A network blackout enforced by the RSF has made it difficult to determine the exact cause.
One man who spoke to Reuters said three of his family members had died of the same illness, but he only found out days later when others escaped to an area with internet access.
Those who wish to leave must pay high sums at RSF checkpoints, said another man.
According to pro-democracy activists, the siege began on Oct. 29 when the RSF raided the town, killing five and surrounding residents inside three mosques.
Hilaliya is home to the family of defected commander Abuagla Keikal, which locals say may explain the siege of a previously stable trade hub that had housed 50,000 people, including many displaced from other areas.
The town's markets and warehouses were looted, witnesses said.
Satellite imagery from a Yale Humanitarian Lab report showed rapid increase in cemeteries in several Jezira towns since the latest revenge attacks began in late October. It also showed evidence of the burning of agricultural fields in the village of Azrag.