Skip to main content

Sudan Humanitarian Update - 1st Quarter 2012

Countries
Sudan
+ 3 more
Sources
OCHA
Publication date

Tensions rise as fighting spreads and oil is cut

The first quarter of 2012 laid the ground for a growing crisis between Sudan and South Sudan as tensions steadily increased over a number of outstanding Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) issues. The shutdown of oil production in South Sudan in January has raised concerns about a serious escalation of confl ict between the two states. Fierce clashes between the Sudan and South Sudan armies in the border area of Higlig in late March displaced thousands of people. Meanwhile, armed conflict between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N) has continued in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, affecting hundreds of thousands of civilians and driving more refugees into neighbouring Ethiopia and South Sudan.

While negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan continued in Addis Ababa on a number of outstanding CPA issues, the two countries were not able to reach an agreement on the division of oil revenues, border demarcation and management, and the fi nal status of the Abyei area.

Although Sudan and South Sudan signed a non-aggression agreement on 10 February 2012, sporadic fighting continued to be reported in the contested border areas. On 26 March 2012, fi erce clashes between the SAF and the South Sudan army – the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) – were reported in the border region of Higlig in South Kordofan. More than 10,000 people were displaced in the area as a result of the fighting, according to the Government of Sudan’s Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC). Oil fields in Higlig provide more than half of Sudan’s oil.

Hostilities between the SAF and the SPLM-N continued to affect civilians in parts of South Kordofan and Blue Nile States.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.