Focus on Uganda's neighbors: North-South Sudan deadlock; attacks in DRC continue

After a week's hiatus, we return to our Wednesday updates on happenings in northern Uganda's two main neighbors: southern Sudan & eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Here are a few key news stories from the last week:

"South Sudan could secede if Abyei unresolved" (Reuters): South Sudan could unilaterally split from the north because of a dispute over the oil-rich region of Abyei in Africa's largest country, leading Islamist opposition party leader Hassan al-Turabi said on Sunday.

"North-south Sudan talks fail to reconcile ex-foes" (Reuters): Discussions between the southern Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and northern National Congress Party (NCP) have reached a deadlock, largely over the status of the oil-rich Abyei region.

"Rwandan rebels in Congo vow to resist disarmament" (Reuters): A Rwandan rebel group operating in eastern DRC said it would resist a Congolese government plan to disarm it by force, complicating efforts to end linked insurgencies in the turbulent region.

"UN warns attacks on civilians in DR Congo 'war crimes'" (AFP): The UN mission to the DRC (MONUC) Wednesday condemned attacks near camps of displaced people in the east, warning that strikes on civilians are considered war crimes. More than 28,000 displaced villagers fled their desolate camps in Nord-Kivu province on Tuesday during one clash.

"An All-Sudan Solution: Linking Darfur and the South" (ENOUGH): Roger Winter and John Prendergast have written a new report that shows how violence in both regions threatens peace in the other. They write, "The urgent task at hand, therefore, is to simultaneously and equally support both the resolution of Darfur’s crisis and the timely implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement."