4 May 2012 - The peace between Sudan and South Sudan was not to
be, at least not for long. Even after the Republic of South
Sudan’s independence last July, tensions remained high between
the former civil war combatants. Oil fields—mainly located along
the contested border region—became the focal point in a play for
power that has intensified into violent clashes over last month.
After months of border skirmishes between the two countries,
South Sudan seized a disputed oil field in Heglig earlier this
month, prompting the north’s retaliation. Last Thursday, the
United Nations drafted a Security Council resolution to make
legally binding an African Union demand that Sudan and South
Sudan stop clashes along the border and resume peace talks.
Whether or not the resolution passes—and if it does, whether or
not it has any impact—remains to be seen. But what’s
clear—resolution or no resolution, warfare or none—is that the
region, especially where we are working in South Sudan, suffers
from a vast underlying humanita