UN: Sudan, South Sudan Must Settle Dispute over Oil-Rich Region

A file photo shows UN peackeeping soldiers in oil-rich Abyei. (AFP)
A file photo shows UN peackeeping soldiers in oil-rich Abyei. (AFP)
TT
20

UN: Sudan, South Sudan Must Settle Dispute over Oil-Rich Region

A file photo shows UN peackeeping soldiers in oil-rich Abyei. (AFP)
A file photo shows UN peackeeping soldiers in oil-rich Abyei. (AFP)

Sudan and South Sudan must reach an agreement on the disputed, oil-rich border region of Abyei in order for the UN mission there to conclude, according to Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Abyei has been contested since South Sudan gained independence in 2011 and the United Nations Interim Security Force in Abyei (UNISFA) was deployed after deadly clashes that year displaced some 100,000 people.

Charged with coming up with options for ending the peacekeepers’ presence, Guterres said in a recent report to the Security Council it is up to the two countries to decide on the status of the region, AFP reported.

“A longer-term and more sustainable solution in Abyei, resulting in a safe and complete drawdown of UNISFA, would need... good neighborly relations between the Sudan and South Sudan and the parties reaching an agreement on the final status of the Abyei area with the support of the region, the African Union and the United Nations,” the report states.

“I call on all partners to assist both the Sudan and South Sudan to resolve their outstanding issues, particularly to reach a settlement on the final status of Abyei,” Guterres said without suggesting how they might do this.

UNISFA is made up mainly of Ethiopian troops, with some 4,500 soldiers on the ground.

Guterres briefed the council on his talks with the two countries.

South Sudan feels a drawdown of UNISFA could be considered “immediately” but should proceed gradually over a year, Guterres said.

Sudan believes this would allow time for the two countries to establish the mechanisms provided for in a 2011 agreement on temporary administrative and security arrangements in Abyei, he said.

But South Sudan says the departure of the UN mission can be considered only after the final status of the region is decided.

South Sudan insists that security concerns remain in Abyei and in neighboring western Kordofan state that warrant UNISFA’s continued presence, Guterres said.



Myanmar Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 3,085 as More Bodies Found

People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER
People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER
TT
20

Myanmar Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 3,085 as More Bodies Found

People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER
People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER

The death toll from the massive earthquake that hit Myanmar nearly a week ago rose Thursday to 3,085 as search and rescue teams found more bodies, the military-led government said, and humanitarian aid groups scrambled to provide survivors medical care and shelter.
In a short statement, the military said another 4,715 people have been injured and 341 are missing.
The epicenter of Friday's 7.7 magnitude earthquake was near Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city. It brought down thousands of buildings, buckled roads and destroyed bridges in multiple regions, The Associated Press said.
Local media reports of casualties have been much higher than the official figures and with telecommunications widely out and many places difficult to reach, it's thought the numbers could rise sharply as more details come in.
The World Health Organization said that according to its initial assessment, four hospitals and one health center had been completely destroyed while another 32 hospitals and 18 health centers had been partially damaged.
“With infrastructure compromised and patient numbers surging, access to health care has become nearly impossible in many of the worst-hit areas,” the UN said. “Thousands of people are in urgent need of trauma care, surgical interventions and treatment for disease outbreaks.”
A mobile hospital from India and a joint Russian-Belarusian hospital also were now operating in Mandalay.
With many left homeless by the earthquake, and many others staying away from their homes over fears ongoing aftershocks will bring them down, workers in Naypyitaw labored in the 40 degree Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) busily erected big tents in open fields to provide some shelter.
In Mandalay, local residents gave slices of watermelon to Chinese volunteers taking a break from the heat.
More than 1,550 international rescuers were operating alongside locals on Thursday, according to a statement from the military. Rescue supplies and equipment have been sent by 17 countries.
Myanmar’s military seized power in 2021 from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has turned into a civil war.
The quake worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis, with more than 3 million people displaced from their homes and nearly 20 million in need even before it hit, according to the United Nations.
As concerns grew that ongoing fighting could hamper humanitarian aid efforts, the military declared a temporary ceasefire Wednesday, through April 22. The announcement followed unilateral temporary ceasefires announced by armed resistance groups opposed to military rule.
The military said it would still take “necessary” measures against those groups if they use the ceasefire to regroup, train or launch attacks.
Already on Thursday there were reports from local media in Kachin state in the north of Myanmar that military attacks continued in several areas, but they could not be independently confirmed.
Prior to the earthquake the military was battling the Kachin Independence Army group. The KIA on Wednesday also declared a ceasefire but reserved the right to defend itself. It was unclear how the reported fighting broke out.
The earthquake shook Kachin, but there have been no reports of damage there.
In Bangkok, where the quake brought down a skyscraper under construction, the search for survivors and bodies continued as Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt said a possible sound of life was detected in the rubble. By near day's end, however, nobody was found.
Twenty-two people were killed and 35 injured in the city, mostly by the collapse of the unfinished building.