Sudanese forces have seized control of the disputed border region of Abyei in an ongoing spat with Southern Sudan. Sudanese officials have rejected a U.N. call to withdraw from the region, saying they will not leave until a new peace accord is signed. Southern Sudanese voters backed independence from the north in a vote earlier this year. The Abyei region lies on the border of north and south Sudan, and both sides have laid claim to the area. The U.S. special envoy to Sudan, Princeton Lyman, warned of escalating conflict.

Princeton Lyman: “I think the danger of further conflict in Abyei is serious. There is some fighting going on now down toward the southern border, where southern forces are still inside Abyei and are fighting Sudanese armed forces. So, the danger of further clashes is very great. I don’t think that means that they’ll go to general warfare between the two, but any kind of warfare, and especially over an area — an issue as emotional and difficult as Abyei, is a very dangerous prospect.”