The Abyei status referendum is a delayed referendum that was originally due to be held in 2011 in which the residents of Abyei can decide either to remain part of the Sudanese South Kordofan region or to become part of the Bahr el Ghazal region of South Sudan.
Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Karti said that he had confidence that the AU would accord both states more time to resolve difference over organising the referendum.
[9] The spokesman for the Abyei Referendum High Committee, Luka Biong, announced that of those who voted, 99.9% supported joining South Sudan; this was then followed by celebrations.
The head of the African Union, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, said the vote was illegal and its organisers risked sparking a return to war.
"They pose a threat to peace in the Abyei area, and have the potential to trigger an unprecedented escalation on the ground... with far-reaching consequences for the region as a whole."