May 23, 2011 (JUBA) - Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), an international medical humanitarian organization, has suspended its primary health care activities in the disputed oil-region of Abyei in the aftermath of violent clashes over the last week.

Valerie Babize, MSF’s field communications advisor said their staff have instead been placed on standby to respond to any influx casualties who may have been wounded during the attacks.

“MSF teams have suspended primary health care activities in Abyei and have now reached the fleeing population in Agok. MSF teams in Agok are on standby to respond to a further influx of those wounded,” Babize said.

Agok is situated south of Abyei in the southern state Bahr al Ghazal. Abyei town was occupied by the northern Sudanese army (SAF) on Saturday after it was attacked by the southern army (SPLA) on Thursday.

The SPLA have apologized for the incident, saying it had not been intentional, and have called for the dispute to be resolved diplomatically. Thousands of Abyei citizens fled the town as it became the clear the SAF were approaching.

The UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) strongly condemned the looting and burning in the region by “armed elements, saying the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) should maintain law and order in the areas under their control.

“UNMIS calls upon the Government of Sudan to urgently ensure that the Sudan Armed Forces fulfill their responsibility and intervene to stop these criminal acts,” partly reads the May 23 statement.

The United States, France and United Kingdom have also criticized Khartoum’s military takeover of Abyei and called for immediate withdrawal. The same message was further re-echoed by the European Union (EU).

"I condemn the violent incidents in Abyei during the last few days," EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton said in a statement. She also appealed to all parties involved to resolve their differences in the framework of Sudan’s 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

Operational in Abyei since 2006, MSF has actively been providing primary healthcare services in Abyei town, including antenatal care and treatment for malnutrition. In 2010, for instance, the team reportedly provided over 18,000 outpatient consultations, in addition to other surgical and maternity services.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian organization said over 40 people wounded during the weekend attack have received treated from their hospital in Agok, located 40km south of Abyei.

Abyei is claimed by both north and south Sudan. A referendum to decide the future of the region did not go ahead as planned in January due to disagreements on which groups would be allowed to vote.

The South’s plebiscite on independence, agreed in a 2005 peace deal, did go ahead, however. A huge vote of over 98 percent in favour of separation has paved the way for South Sudan to secede on July 9.

(ST)