Juba 'committed to peace'

JUBA, Sudan, May 26 (UPI) -- With violence intensifying over the disputed border region of Abyei, the president of the Sudanese government in Juba said he was committed to peace.

Military forces from Sudan occupied Abyei during the weekend after Khartoum accused fighters from the south of attacking its troops as they tried to withdraw from the region.

Both sides claim Abyei as their own. The de facto border region was left out of a January referendum for South Sudan's independence because of voter eligibility issues.

Both sides last week agreed to pull "unauthorized" troops from the region and on Thursday, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir called for an international presence in Abyei, Bloomberg News reports.

U.N. peacekeepers in the region were attacked by militants in the region. Kiir said the northern occupiers should leave Abyei.

"I must state here that we are committed to peace," he was quoted as saying.

The tribal Ngok Dinka people have a rival claim to Abyei over Misseriya nomads. U.N. officials told Bloomberg that around 40,000 people have fled the violence in recent days.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir backtracked on earlier pledges by saying he wouldn't recognize South Sudan's independence if Abyei seceded.