
It is the future of the disputed Abyei region that is rich in oil and straddles the North-South border.
The area is inhabited permanently by the Ngok Dinka with loyalties to the South and seasonally by the Misseriya with ties to the North. There is to be a separate referendum on the future of Abyei, although no date has been set.
The Institute for Security Studies prepared a background paper on this critical issue dated July 26, 2010, and titled "Abyei Natural Resources Conflict" (PDF) by Muna A. Abdalla.
Image: Creative commons licensed photo of a woman receiving emergency rations from the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in Agok, Sudan, as storm clouds loom overhead. www.unmultimedia.org/photo/