South Sudan said on Tuesday that Sudan had attacked a disputed oil-producing border region with warplanes and artillery, in the latest flare-up of violence that has delayed a summit between the former civil war foes.
The South Sudanese army (SPLA) said the town of Teshwin in the border area had come under attack late on Monday and that fighting was continuing on Tuesday. Sudan's armed forces spokesman Al-Sawarmi Khalid Saad could not immediately be reached for comment on his mobile phone.
South Sudan, which seceded in July, has been locked in a bitter dispute with Khartoum over oil payments and other issues, and clashes in the ill-defined border region last month raised concerns they might escalate into full-blown war.
"They launched a new attack, and occupied southern territory until the SPLA repulsed them," said Philip Aguer, a spokesman for the South's forces, Sudan People's Liberation Army. "Fighting continued today and is still ongoing."
He said the Sudanese ground forces had started their attack from the disputed area of Heglig, where Sudan controls an oil field that accounts for roughly half of its 115,000 barrel a day output.
South Sudan's army briefly occupied a portion of the Heglig area last month before pulling out.
The two countries are at odds over how much the landlocked South should pay to export its oil through Sudan.
South Sudan took three quarters of what was the united country's oilput when it seceded. It shut down production in January after Khartoum started taking some oil for what it calls unpaid transit fees.
Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir was meant to meet his counterpart Salva Kiir in Juba last week to defuse tensions, but he called off the summit due to the border violence.
Sudan's Foreign Minister Ali Ahmed Karti said on Tuesday Khartoum wanted the summit but needed more time to prepare.
"We don't want the summit to fail. If the summit fails nobody else will solve the problems," he said after meeting his Czech counterpart in Prague.
"We are committed to the summit, but let us delay till we are able to solve or at least discuss the problems in (a) way that the summit will be successful," he said.
Among other unresolved issues, the two sides need to mark their border and end accusations of supporting rebels in the other's territory.
Newer articles:
- Achievement of household food security in South Sudan - Sudan Tribune - 11/04/2012 02:00
- Nutributter shipment arrives in South Sudan - Reuters AlertNet - 11/04/2012 00:00
- South Sudan faces challenges providing maternal and child health care - UNICEF (press release) - 10/04/2012 23:35
- Sudan Stops South Sudanese Leaving As Border Clashes Resume - Wall Street Journal - 10/04/2012 21:36
- South Sudan accuses Sudan of new attack - Reuters - 10/04/2012 18:00
Older news items
- South Sudan: As civilian disarmament takes place, UN urges respect for human ... - defenceWeb - 10/04/2012 15:59
- Bashir Tells South Sudan to Offer Security for Settling Post-Secession Issues - AllAfrica.com - 10/04/2012 10:21
- South Sudan vice president calls for border peace between Unity, Warrap and ... - Sudan Tribune - 10/04/2012 07:08
- Agwa leaves war-torn Sudan for safety - Worthington Daily Globe - 10/04/2012 04:30
- African energy: Eastern El Dorado? - Minneapolis Star Tribune - 10/04/2012 01:54
Latest news items (all categories):
- South Sudan needs ‘civic education’ before elections, says bishop - 16/01/2025 16:42
- South Sudan parties set to resume peace talks in Kenya - 16/01/2025 16:39
- Abandoned but not forgotten – the invisible crisis in South Sudan - 16/01/2025 16:35
- The SAF has committed barbaric atrocities against South Sudanese refugees in Wad Medani - 16/01/2025 16:27
- Syria 2025: The historical Syrian project: From revolution to a modern inclusive civil state - 16/01/2025 16:10
See also (all categories):
Random articles (all categories):
- Sudanese flee conflict to grim life in South Sudan camps - Sin Chew Jit Poh - 12/09/2012 02:23
- South Sudan: Vice President Launches Country-Wide Polio Vaccination Campaign - 25/10/2013 17:46
- لجنة نزح السلاح بولاية اعالى النيل يجتمع لتباحث حول عمليات نزح السلاح - 30/08/2011 01:00
- Canada: South Sudanese Man convicted of murdering taxi driver may face deportation, defence lawyers say - 28/04/2023 09:39
- South Sudan: Situation overview - 09/05/2013 03:54
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 61774 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22308 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21496 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 19063 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 18823 times