Sudan Army Rejects Call to Exit Town Claimed by North, South

Sudan rejected a UN call to withdraw from the Abyei region’s main town and said it would keep forces there until a new accord is signed with Southern Sudan that guarantees stability and freedom of movement for all citizens.

The north’s troops have become entrenched in several parts of the disputed border region to protect civilians, reaching Bahr al-Arab, south of Abyei town, or Kiir River as it is known in the south, Defense Minister Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein said.