Sudan: 197 troops killed, missing in Abyei attack

[May 24, 2011]  NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- A Sudanese official says 197 northern troops were killed or are missing after an attack last week by southern forces near Abyei that kicked off the latest tension between north and south Sudan.

Kamal Ismail Saeed, Sudan's ambassador to Kenya, said Tuesday that last Thursday's attack caused the northern forces to move into the flashpoint zone of Abyei in what he said was self defense.

U.N. troops were escorting the northern forces during the attack, which the U.N. called a "criminal act" and a breach of north-south agreements.

The fight over Abyei threatens to send north and south back to war only two months before the south is scheduled to declare independence.

Saeed said the north is committed to a peaceful resolution.

[Associated Press]

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