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Facing rebel threats from its west and a possible secession bid to the south, Sudan's government in Khartoum is fighting to ensure its survival through control over the country's economic lifeline: the southern region's oil wealth. (With Stratfor map.)

Fighting broke out May 20 between Sudanese armed forces and rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) troops in Sudan’s oil-rich town of Abyei, located in a contested area along the boundary that separates Khartoum-controlled northern Sudan from the country’s semiautonomous southern region.

At stake is control over not only a sizeable chunk of Sudan’s oil wealth, but also the country’s ability to export oil. With rebel threats in the country’s western region and a possible independence bid from the South, Khartoum’s ability to maintain its dominance will depend on its ability to control the country’s oil wealth. Khartoum’s core interests are at stake in Abyei, and it will not let the town go without a struggle.

The area around Abyei supplies more than half of Sudan’s total oil output, which is estimated at 500,000 barrels per day. Though there are numerous oil blocks in Sudan, the broader Abyei region includes the country’s most significant oil producing fields, Heglig and Kailkang. Also, Sudan’s main oil pipeline runs through the Abyei region to export loading facilities at Port Sudan on the Red Sea.