Raids Force 80,000 to Flee Sudanese City

Abyei and its oil reserves have been taken over by militias and soldiers loyal to the north just weeks ahead of the south's secession.

Eighty-thousand people have fled the Sudanese city of Abyei after soldiers and militants swept in to claim it for the north, just seven weeks before South Sudan is to become an independent country. Abyei, which is near where the border will be between the largely Muslim north and the Christian and animist south, is home to vast oil reserves claimed by both sides. The city was a constant flashpoint throughout the nearly three-decade Sudanese civil war, which ended in 2005. Residents of Abyei have sought refuge in other villages and towns throughout the south, where they await word of what became of loved ones during the battle.