Hague court redefines Sudan's Abyei boundaries
An international court redefined the boundaries of the disputed oil-producing Abyei area claimed by both north and south Sudan, but both groups pledged to respect the ruling.
The borders of Abyei, often called the "Kashmir" of Sudan's north-south conflict and coveted by both sides, were outlined by an international panel after a 2005 peace agreement that ended more than 20 years of civil war between north and south Sudan.
But after Sudan's government challenged the boundaries, a deal was reached with the former southern rebels, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), to refer the issue to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.
Both sides promised to accept Wednesday's decision by the court.
"We want peace. We think this decision is going to consolidate the peace," said Riek Machar, the SPLM's representative. "We came to see justice and it's a decision we will respect."
Abyei has been promised a referendum in January 2011 on whether it wants to join north or south Sudan. On the same day, south Sudan as a whole has been promised a vote on whether to become an independent country.
Elections have also been scheduled for April 2010.
But in May last year, fighting erupted again between South Sudanese former rebels and northern government forces in the Abyei region.
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