With the northern Sudanese military firmly in control of the disputed territory of Abyei, Abyei’s residents have fled to the nearby towns of Agok and Aniet.

By Laura Heaton, Guest blogger / June 3, 2011

Aniet, South Sudan With Sudan’s northern and southern armies facing off on either side of the River Kiir and the bridge between them all but destroyed, civilians just south are settling into a difficult new reality. So long as the Sudan Armed Forces stay in Abyei, its Ngok Dinka residents will not go home. “We reject their claims that they will bring peace to Abyei,” said Abyei elder Deng Arop Kuol, the older brother of the area’s top official. Displaced people from the region broadly agree.

Without the option of going home, some of those who initially fled further south are now arriving in Aniet and its neighboring town, Agok. The market that was abandoned last week is seeing some activity, though there is very little to buy; the area’s main supply route comes from the north and cuts through Abyei, so no goods are coming through. Soldiers and gun-toting civilians are everywhere.

Read the full article on The Christian Science Monitor.