S. Sudan claims victory in clash for key town - Pittsburgh Post Gazette

April 12, 2012 12:01 am

By Josh Kron / The New York Times

MOMBASA, Kenya -- South Sudanese officials said Wednesday that their forces had taken control of a contested town in an oil-rich area along the border with Sudan, "repulsing and pursuing" Sudanese armed forces in the latest battle between two countries edging toward outright war.

South Sudan seceded from Sudan last year after decades of conflict, leaving a number of contested strategic areas and a landscape of residual tensions. Unresolved arguments over nationality, oil revenue and the status of contested border regions have steadily crept to the forefront of relations between the two nations, displacing the reconciliatory air during the south's independence last year.

Since then, the warm words have dissipated -- revealing two nations that do not to trust each other, yet rely on the same oil to power their economies. Sudan accuses South Sudan of supporting rebel insurgencies in its territory. The landlocked south accuses Sudan of stealing its oil, which is pumped through Sudan for export.

In recent weeks, the oil dispute has escalated into violence, with the two nations clashing militarily around the border. And on Wednesday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke directly with South Sudan's President Salva Kiir, urging an end to the fighting and a presidential summit to ease tensions.

In the latest skirmish, South Sudan's minister of information, Barnaba Marial Benjamin, said two brigades of Sudanese troops along with tanks had attacked South Sudanese positions outside the contested town of Heglig, leaving the town itself "abandoned" and allowing the south's forces to gain control of it.

"They attacked us first," said Mr. Marial. "But we managed to push them out."

South Sudanese officials would not confirm whether their forces would stay in Heglig, but they said they were not looking for war. "There are many other areas that need dialogue," said Mr. Marial, referring in part, he said, to Abyei, a contested region between the two countries. "We are not for war," Mr. Marial continued. "We will not cross into their territory one inch."

But Sudan's government spokesman, Rabie A. Atti, was less encouraging. Asked whether Sudan and South Sudan were at war, he replied "Yes, exactly."

First Published 2012-04-12 04:40:09