Sudan deploys tanks, helicopters near Abyei

KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Sudan's northern army has deployed attack helicopters and tanks within range of the disputed Abyei area, a satellite monitoring project said, adding to concerns that the north and south are gearing for conflict.

Abyei is considered the most likely region to reignite decades of violence between the mostly Muslim Arab north and the south, which mostly follows traditional beliefs or Christianity. The south is due to become an independent nation in July. Both the north and south have been building up forces in the area and arming them with weapons such as rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns, activists and the United Nations have said.