Sudan, S. Sudan clashes rage on - Daily Monitor

The African Union and the United Nations have repeatedly called for restraint.

Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) locked horns with southern troops at a new battle front on the crumbly borders yesterday, officials have said.

The SAF attacked police posts at Kuek in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state, overran them and eventually took over a momentary control, army spokesperson Col. Philip Aguer said.

Col. Aguer said the police forces that were based in Kuek were pushed south wards into Panyikang County in the Shiluk Kingdom. “They chased away the police which was at the borders. They invaded the area and the SPLA will definitely handle the situation,” Col. Aguer added.

Situation
“Antonovs are hovering over Bentiu but they have not yet dropped bombs,” he said in reference to aerial raid in the neighboring oil-rich Unity State which has been the scene of most air attacks.

Five people were killed on Saturday when a bomb landed in a market in Bentiu, capital of Unity state. Upper Nile state Governor Simon Kun Puoch said the invading troops were a combination of two militia forces and the SAF.

Mr Kun said the police pulled back shortly before staging a repulsive attack that later pushed the SAF out of the area. “SPLA forces came and they were pushed back again,” Mr Kun said, referring the SAF and the associated militia forces. He said the SAF was “shelling Kuek from all directions”.

However, Sudan’s ambassador to the UK, Abdullahi Al Azreg, told BBC that Sudan did not target civilians. He insisted Khartoum had bombed military camps used by northern rebels supported by South Sudan.

Accusations
“These people are occupying our land. Everybody is witnessing what they are doing. They have killed the civilians, they are doing very bad things. We will target the rebels as long as they are occupying our land,” he told BBC.

South Sudan said earlier on Saturday that it had repulsed an offensive on its positions near Heglig.

The hostilities between the two countries, which separated last July after two decades of bloody war, started last week, with South Sudan taking over the border town of Heglig in response to continued aerial bombardment and ground attacks.

Heglig, which South Sudan claims is its own according to the 1956 colonial maps, produced about half of Sudan’s crude oil since the split.

Southern troops ceased the region and shut down oil production, depriving Khartoum of the cash it badly needs to salvage its deteriorating economy.

But the south says it has run out of patience to wait hand-folded for a peaceful and formal border demarcation in the face of continued aggression and violation of her sovereignty, accusing Khartoum of dragging its feet on border demarcation.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.