Sudan's northern army says it will temporarily hold on to the territory it seized over the weekend in the disputed region of Abyei.

Khartoum insists it took military action to drive out southern troops who had illegally "infiltrated" the region.

But the Southern government says the north's takeover of Abyei, which came weeks before the South's independence declaration, aims to establish Khartoum's control over the oil-rich region.

Sherine Tadros reports from Khartoum, Sudan's capital.