21 Sudanese Army Soldiers Killed in Abyei Clashes

The Sudanese national army announced Wednesday that it has lost 21 soldiers in fierce fighting with forces from the semi-autonomous South. The violence has been raging since last week in the oil-rich region of Abyei, which is claimed by both the Arab-dominated central government and the South. Army spokesman Uthman al-Agbash also said 54 soldiers were injured, but gave no indication of the death toll on the SPLA side. [P.E]