Sudan Soldiers Killed in Rebel Ambush in Abyei

Officials from Abyei have agreed to an international ruling related to the status of the oil-producing area of the central African nation of Sudan. There has been an eruption of violence in Abyei since the elections., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Sudan in rebel ambush kills 9 soldiers transporting fuel to UN troops in Abyei

Published July 31, 2013
Associated Press

KHARTOUM, Sudan – Sudan's Foreign Ministry says a rebel ambush on an army convoy has killed nine soldiers.

The convoy was transporting fuel supplies for the U.N. mission in Abyei, a disputed region between Sudan and South Sudan.

In a statement Wednesday, the ministry said two of the dead were officers. Another 35 soldiers were wounded in the Saturday attack.

The statement said rebels from the Justice and Equality Movement of Jibrel Ibrahim fled with the fuel before destroying the military's transport trucks.

Abyei is a volatile area because of the dispute between the two neighbors. The U.N. mission there helps mark the border in the oil-rich desert region and monitors a demilitarized zone.

Sudan accuses South Sudan of supporting the local rebel movements.