A/HRC/18/40 8. While the referendum was a milestone in the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, very little progress was made by either party to the Agreement to resolve the remaining issues of it, including the Abyei referendum, border demarcation, arrangements for citizenship, the sharing of wealth and debt between the two parties and security arrangements. A separate referendum for the disputed region of Abyei was scheduled to be held simultaneously with the southern Sudan referendum to decide whether the region would join the new South or remain with the North. The referendum was cancelled owing to the failure of the parties to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to agree on key issues, such as voter eligibility and the composition of the referendum commission. The delay in the holding of the referendum led to an escalation in violence between the different ethnic groups in the region, as well as between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), which culminated in the seizure and occupation of Abyei by the SAF in May and the displacement of the town’s entire population. 9. Violence also broke out in the key border State of Southern Kordofan between the SAF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, Northern Branch (SPLM-North) following a disputed State election early in May 2011. The situation deteriorated significantly amidst aerial bombardment by the SAF of SPLA positions in areas around the State capital of Kadugli. The hostilities caused the displacement of more than 73,000 people. Humanitarian access to the areas affected by the violence continues to be denied by the SAF, citing security concerns. 10. Since the referendum, hundreds of civilians have been killed as a result of inter- communal violence in South Sudan. In addition, fighting has also intensified between the SPLA and rebel militia groups in the States of Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile, causing the death of several hundred people and leading to the displacement of more than 30,000 civilians. The threats to civilians remain substantial and are likely to increase. 5