Civilians continue to get caught in the crossfire [AFP]

General Muntasser Sabil Adam, commander of government forces in Abyei, said that his soldiers repelled an attack from armed men of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), in a six- hour battle on Tuesday in which he lost 22 men.
 
He also said that the town was now calm and that his men were in control.

The Sudanese army previously issued a statement holding the SPLM responsible for the deteriorating situation in Abyei.

The two sides had met for talks several times in the last few days to try and reach an agreement to end the fighting, but each agreement has been broken by further clashes.

But Edward Nino, political supervisor of the SPLM, denied the group had given up its commitment to the peace deal.
 
The status of the area remains contested between north and south Sudan three years after the end of the country's civil war.

Civilians flee
 
Clashes in the area were sporadic on Tuesday, with the AFP news agency reporting one aid worker as saying: "Fighting started this morning at 4am [01:00 GMT]. The SPLA attacked. There's a lull at the moment, but I don't think anybody thinks it's over."
 
The fighting in Abyei has killed an undetermined number of people. A majority of the town's civilians - between 30,000 and 50,000 -have been displaced, according to the  UN

Tuesday's fighting, which had broken an earlier ceasefire, was set off by an assault on the town by the southern Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) with tanks and infantry, firing rockets and mortars.

The United Nations has pulled out most of its 250 civilian staff of the town, leaving just the 400 peacekeepers on the ground.
 
While the north currently holds special administrative rights over Abyei, a referendum in 2011 will decide whether it retains its special administrative status in north Sudan or is incorporated into the south.

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