20110521
Reuters
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - North and south Sudan's armies on Friday accused each other of launching attacks in the contested Abyei border region, marking an escalation of tensions in the countdown to the south's independence in July.

South Sudan's army accused the north of using tanks and artillery in attacks on four villages on Friday.

North Sudan's army was not immediately available for comment but earlier accused the south of ambushing northern troops travelling in a convoy with U.N. peacekeepers on Thursday.

The United States, one of the main backers of Sudan's landmark 2005 peace deal, deplored the attack and urged both sides to stop all unauthorized military actions in Abyei.

"Political leaders on both sides must take responsibility now to ensure that this situation does does not escalate into a wider crisis," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.

U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "strongly condemns" the attack and was "very concerned over the reports of increased troop movements into Abyei." Ban wants all unauthorized troops to be withdrawn, Nesirky added.

South Sudan voted to become independent in a referendum in January agreed to under the 2005 peace deal but tensions have built up in the oil-producing Abyei border region where both sides have built up forces.

The southern army (SPLA) said northern forces had attacked SPLA army and police forces in at least four villages on Friday.

"They used shells, long-range artillery, even tanks," said SPLA spokesman Philip Aguer. "We don't know casualty figures yet. Shells were still falling this afternoon when I got the latest report."

'A WAR ZONE'

A spokesman for the U.N. Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) earlier said artillery fights broke out in the area of Todach and Tagalei but later said he needed to confirm the report.

The mainly Muslim north and the south, where most people are Christian or practice traditional beliefs, fought for decades in a civil war that killed an estimated 2 million people. The war was ended by a 2005 peace deal that led to the referendum on southern independence.

Abyei residents were also supposed to have a referendum in January over whether to join the north or south. Disputes over who could vote derailed that ballot and talks over the status of the region have stalled.

The fresh violence came after the north accused the SPLA of attacking a convoy of Sudanese soldiers and U.N. peacekeepers late on Thursday in Dokura north of Abyei town.

"Abyei is now a war zone," said Sadiq Amer, deputy head of northern intelligence and security forces, adding that at least 22 soldiers had been killed in what he called an "aggression" of southern forces against a convoy of around 10 vehicles.

"The troops were ambushed without any warning," he told reporters in the capital Khartoum.

The SPLA denied responsibility for the attack, which the United Nations said had taken place on a convoy of northern troops escorted by U.N. peacekeepers under a deal for both sides to withdraw forces from the disputed territory.

UNMIS did not identify the attackers but said the ambush took place in Dokura, an area it said was controlled by southern police forces. It said two Sudanese soldiers and one peacekeeper had been injured.

Under a deal to ease tension, the north and south agreed to withdraw all of their forces from Abyei except for a special joint force made up of units from both sides. The pullout was supposed to be completed this week.

The South's SPLA said confusion between the joint force and the convoy may have been responsible for the shooting.

"It is not true that SPLA attacked. That situation needs a proper investigation," Aguer said.