Sudans reach deal to withdraw from Abyei

The governments of Sudan and the newly independent South Sudan have agreed to withdraw their troops from disputed region of Abyei, United Nations official said Thursday.

Edmond Mulet, the U.N. assistant secretary general for peacekeeping, said the two countries reached a deal during talks being brokered by the African Union in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

Speaking after a U.N. Security Council briefing the issue, Mulet told reporters:

They [Sudan and South Sudan] have agreed that between 11 September and 30 September there is going to be a redeployment or withdrawal of the troops.

He added that Khartoum, occupied Abyei in May, had dropped its original condition that it would only pull its troops out of Abyei when an administration was put in place.

The BBC reports that referendum planned in Abyei on its future status was never held.

(Read more on GlobalPost: In war-torn Sudan, Abyei could be a flashpoint)

Northern troops remained in Abyei despite the presence of a U.N. peacekeeping force of more than 1,700 Ethiopian troops, which arrived several weeks ago.

Both Khartoum and Juba claim the oil-rich Abyei, and Al Jazeera says Thursday’s accord is expected to ease tensions along several border states, including Blue Nile and South Kordofan.