KHARTOUM (AFP) -- A joint north-south Sudanese force tasked with preventing a repeat of fighting in the disputed Abyei region will deploy a day later than planned, its commander said on Monday.

Troops from the Sudanese army and the southern former rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army had been set to arrive in the oil-rich area on Monday, but Colonel Valentino Tocmac said a lack of planes had forced a delay.
""They will start to go to the area tomorrow,"" Tocmac told AFP.
He said the delay was ""not for a specific reason but the flight schedule is full so that's why it's set for tomorrow.""
The deployment of the so-called Joint Integrated Unit of between 700-750 troops was a key part of a roadmap agreement hammered out last week by the two sides in the wake of May's fighting which caused tens of thousands to flee.
Tocmac said on Sunday that the troops should all be deployed by Wednesday, stressing that the new force was made up entirely of men who had not previously been stationed in the flashpoint.
Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir signed the agreement aimed at bringing peace to the disputed central region with former rebel leader and First Vice-President Salva Kiir on June 8.
Besides allowing for the return of those displaced by the fighting in Abyei, the agreement includes setting up an interim administration and seeking international arbitration to resolve the dispute.
Both the United Nations and the African Union have hailed the deal, which will also allow the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) unrestricted access to the area.