AFP - Tens of thousands of people fled Thursday the Sudanese town of Abyei, which is now "almost empty" after deadly clashes in the disputed region rich in oil, has alarmed Friday the humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders ( MSF).
"Since yesterday, tens of thousands of people fled the city, leaving it almost empty," the NGO said in a statement.
"The biggest concern of MSF is to be able to reach and treat all patients in an impartial manner," said the organization.
Phil Humphris, MSF program manager for Sudan, told AFP that most of those displaced by the fighting appeared to be heading south.
"I talked to the coordinator on the ground when he left town and he told me that she looked completely empty," he said.
"We have not found anyone (internally displaced persons, ie), but most people seem to have gone south," he said, adding that it was mainly women and children .
Mr.Humpris also stressed he did not know whether the displaced had fled to the north because of the fighting taking place.
The UN said Thursday sending more peacekeepers in the disputed enclave of Abyei, on the border between North and South Sudan, after clashes that killed at least 70 dead in three days.
North and South mutually accuse the army of the other side of supporting attacks in Abyei.
MSF also said that his hospital in Agok, 40 km south of Abyei, received 21 injured in the afternoon and evening of March 3."All patients had gunshot wounds and three required surgery," says the NGO.
To help authorities, the MSF team has donated medicines and supplies to Abyei hospital run by the Ministry of Health.
On Friday, the situation was "relatively calm" but MSF teams on the ground reported that tensions remained "strong in Abyei town and surrounding area," said the organization.
Staff on site conducting a needs assessment of medical displaced in the region of Abyei to try to answer them.
In addition, the delegation of MSF Agok stands ready to welcome and care of potential casualties in case of continued fighting in the region.
Tensions continue to mount in Abyei since the southern Sudanese have voted in favor of independence for the south during a referendum in January. Southern Sudan will therefore secede from the North in July.
In Abyei, a referendum on membership of the city and its oil-producing region in North or South was postponed indefinitely after a disagreement over the participation of Misseriya vote.These nomadic Arabs insist participate because they fear losing access to the region in case of attachment in Southern Sudan.
Officials from North and South America are currently meeting in Addis Ababa to resolve several outstanding issues before the independence of the South in July, and Abyei is the focus of discussions.
Fighting erupted Tuesday in Abyei between armed men of the tribe northerner Arab Misseriya backed by Khartoum, and Dinka Ngok tribe southerner.
About 10,500 peacekeepers are currently deployed to Sudan for police missions and peacekeeping.
