Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Sudanese Envoys Meet on Abyei Crisis in Addis Ababa

   VOA News  May 28, 2011
   Internally displaced people sit under a tree in Turalei, in the south's
   Twic county, about 130 km (80 miles) from Abyei town, Sudan, May 27,
   2011

Photo: Reuters

   Internally displaced people sit under a tree in Turalei, in the south's
   Twic county, about 130 km (80 miles) from Abyei town, Sudan, May 27,
   2011

   Envoys from north and south Sudan are set to meet at African Union
   headquarters Saturday to discuss the Abyei region that was seized by
   northern forces a week ago, sparking a humanitarian crisis.
   The talks in Addis Abbas, Ethiopia, come one day after a southern Sudan
   official said 80,000 people have fled Abyei. United Nations officials
   say tens of thousands of people are living out in the open, with little
   food or fuel.
   The U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan, Princeton Lyman, is heading to Qatar
   and then Sudan to discuss the Abyei situation. He is expected to urge
   Sudanese officials to settle unresolved north-south issues before the
   south declares independence on July 19.
   Earlier this week, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon called on the
   African Union to stress to both sides a military showdown over Abyei is
   not an option.
   The two sides have been at odds over the future of Abyei, an oil-rich
   region located on the north-south border.
   Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has said the north-south border
   region will remain in northern hands.

.