Ethiopian forces leave disputed Abyei area on Sudan request

Peacekeeping troops

Peacekeeping troops from Ethiopia deployed by the United Nations Interim Security Force in Abyei.  PHOTO | AFP

The Sudanese government on Tuesday announced that the United Nations (UN) has agreed to withdraw its Ethiopian peacekeepers deployed in Abyei, a disputed area that straddles the border Sudan and South Sudan.

The development comes at a time when relations between Sudan and Ethiopia are souring over an ongoing border dispute, as well as a fallout from the Horn country's controversial mega dam project.