Abyei Still a Sticking Point Between Sudans

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, center-left, and South Sudan President Salva Kiir (r) celebrate the signing of 9 agreements, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, September 27, 2012.

A year after the agreements were signed, South Sudanese Foreign Minister Barnaba Benjamin Marial said Sudan has blocked progress on a key issue: a referendum on Abyei's status.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Ahmed Karti warned South Sudan against taking unilateral action on Abyei.

Abyei residents, who fled to northern Sudan during the long civil war, came back ahead of a referendum that was supposed to be held for the region in January 2011.

Internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Abyei in Akong village in South Sudan want to return to Abyei to take part in a referendum in October on the area's status, which appears unlikely to happen.

People from the Misseriya tribe of the Abyei region protested last year against the African Union (AU) proposal for a referendum to decide whether the region belongs to Sudan or South Sudan.