WASHINGTON, May 5 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday expressed growing alarm over Sudan's disputed Abyei region, warning it was escalating into a situation that could imperil the country's landmark 2005 peace deal.
"We are very concerned about recent developments there and the build up of forces in Abyei," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told a news briefing.
"This is a dangerous standoff and its unacceptable. We condemn the deployment of forces by both sides."
Soldiers from north Sudan's army clashed with southern forces in Abyei, killing 14, the United Nations said this week in the latest violence in the contested region.
South Sudan held a peaceful referendum in January that paved the way for it to secede from the north, and is due to formally emerge as an independent country in July.
But the two sides continue to disagree on the fate of Abyei and have built up troops and heavy weapons in the oil-rich border region.
Last week, Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir said he would not recognize south Sudan as an independent state if it did not give up a claim on Abyei -- earning a rebuke from the United States, which has led diplomatic efforts to ensure that the split occurs peacefully.
The U.S. special envoy for Sudan, veteran diplomat Princeton Lyman, is in the region and met recently with south Sudan leader Salva Kiir as well as with United Nations and African Union representatives.
Toner said the United States was concerned that troop movements by both sides violated the 2005 peace deal that underpins the secession plan, and urged them not to escalate the situation further.
Sudan's north and south have fought for all but a few years since 1955 over oil, ethnicity, religion and ideology. The conflict killed an estimated 2 million people and destabilized much of east Africa.
Abyei residents were also supposed to have a referendum in January over whether to join the north or south. Disputes over who could vote derailed that ballot and talks over the status of the region have stalled.
Northern and southern leaders have also made little progress in talks over a range of issues including how they will divide up debts and assets, and how the south might pay the north to transport oil after the split. (reporting by Andrew Quinn; editing by Deborah Charles)
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