Following the independence of South Sudan, Insight on Conflict will be producing a weekly round-up of the news. To subscribe to receive the updates via email, please contact joel@insightonconflict.org or complete the form below.

News roundup

  • Salva Kiir has made his first trip to Khartoum as President of an independent South Sudan. Kiir was in Khartoum for talks on key issues, including oil sharing and border demarcation, with North Sudanese President, Omar al-Bashir. They set deadlines and vowed to resolve disputes peacefully.
  • South Sudan has called on the UN set a deadline on the North withdrawing troops from Abyei. The North Sudanese UN ambassador has said Sudan will withdraw troops once a UN peacekeeping force is fully deployed.
  • The UN has warned of a food crisis in North and South Sudan. An North Sudanese opposition party has said a famine is imminentin the east of North Sudan.
  • Malik Agar, the leader of the SPLM-N, the rebels in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, has called on the North Sudanese government tostop bombing civilians. The government has rejected Agar's account, and blames the rebels for the hardship facing the civilian population.

News in detail

North-South relations

AFP: South Sudan's Kiir in Khartoum for key talks 09 Oct: South Sudanese President Salva Kiir on Saturday lead the first top-level delegation to Khartoum since southern secession, with key unresolved issues on the agenda, including oil and borders. Read more

BBC: Sudans set deadlines to resolve outstanding disputes 09 Oct: Sudan and South Sudan have set deadlines to resolve disputes that remain outstanding since they became separate countries in July. Read more

Reuters: Sudan, South Sudan say to settle disputes peacefully 09 Oct: Sudan and South Sudan will resolve their disagreements through dialogue, Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and southern counterpart Salva Kiir said, but gave no hint of any progress after several meetings on Saturday. Read more

CNN: Presidents of Sudan, South Sudan vow to resolve issues with talks, not war 09 Oct: On his first visit to Khartoum since his fledgling nation declared independence, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir agreed with his Sudanese counterpart to hold talks to "reach final solutions" to address continuing differences between their countries. Read more

Abyei

AFP: S. Sudan urges UN action on Khartoum troops in Abyei 07 Oct: South Sudan on Thursday called on the UN Security Council to set a deadline for Sudan to withdraw its troops from the disputed region of Abyei or be held "accountable." Read more

Press Association: Sudan vow on Abyei troop withdrawal 07 Oct: Sudan will withdraw all its troops from the disputed Abyei region at the same time as the United Nations fully deploys its 4,200-strong force, the country's UN ambassador has said. Read more

North Sudan

AFP: Sudan eyes gold, copper windfall to offset oil gap 05 Oct: Sudan will earn $4 billion from mine exports this year, helping to prop up its ailing economy after it lost most of its oil resources to the south, Mining Minister Abdelbaqi al-Jaylani says. Read more

AFP: Party warns of imminent famine in east Sudan 05 Oct: Government inaction will lead to famine in eastern Sudan in the coming days because of water shortages, poor crops and spiralling food prices, regional party the Beja Congress said on Tuesday. Read more

South Sudan

AFP: S. Sudan opposition vows 'to help build nation' 04 Oct: South Sudan opposition leader Lam Akol pledged his party's cooperation with the government on Monday, saying the huge tasks facing the fledgling nation outweigh years of bitter rivalry. Read more

Food crisis

VOA: UN: Food Crisis Looming in Sudan 05 Oct: The United Nations is warning that two states in Sudan face a looming food crisis because of fighting between government troops and the party of former rebels. Read more

Darfur

Sudan Tribune: New Darfur rebel group merges with JEM 03 Oct: A newly established Darfur rebel group has announced its merger with the mainstream rebels Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), urging “forces of change” in Sudan to unite behind the goal of overthrowing the government. Read more

AFP: Chinese oil worker killed in Sudan conflict state: embassy 04 Oct: A Chinese oil worker was killed and another wounded by unidentified gunmen in South Kordofan, Sudan's only oil producing state where the army is battling insurgents, the Chinese embassy said Monday. Read more

Sudan rebel chief urges govt to stop bombing civilians 09 Oct: A Sudanese rebel leader has called for the government to stop bombing its own citizens, create humanitarian corridors and provide safe zones for civilians in two turbulent border territories. Read more

International

AFP: US nominee urges South, north Sudan to reach oil deal 06 Oct: The US nominee for ambassador to South Sudan on Wednesday called on the new state and its former rulers in north Sudan to reach an oil-sharing deal quickly to avert "economic stresses." Read more