South Sudanese former SPLA rebel fighters engaged government forces May 14 in the disputed oil-rich Abyei region, leaving up to four dead and sending hundreds fleeing. Heavy exchanges of machine gun and mortar fire could be heard from a UN base just outside the town in the north-south border zone. Fighting reportedly spilled into the town's marketplace. Abyei, often called the "Kashmir" of Sudan's north-south conflict and coveted by both sides, is cited as a potential flashpoint to reignite civil war. (Reuters [2], May 14)
