The African Union Chairperson has welcomed the temporary agreement on Abyei as a breakthrough in the talks between the Government of Sudan and the SPLM.
The agreement inked last evening in Addis Ababa opened the door to the demilitarization of Abyei and the possibility for the residents who were displaced by the May heavy fighting to return home.Dr. Jean Ping urged the parties to implement faithfully the provisions of the agreement that entrust to the Ethiopian army the security of Abyei after northern forces and the SPLA pulled out completely from the region.
He said the AU panel for the Sudan, chaired by Thabo Mbeki, will present recommendations on the final status of Abyei to the governments of Khartoum and Juba.