South Sudan accuses north of fresh attacks - Africa Review

South Sudan on Thursday accused neighbouring Sudan of staging fresh ground and air attacks on her territory ahead of a presidential summit to be held on Friday.

Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) war planes raided Raja County in Western Bhar-el-Ghazal State and ground forces also attacked southern army bases on Wednesday, South Sudan army spokesman Col. Philip Aguer said.

Col. Aguer said the ground fighting took place between Timsa and Balballa localities, but said casualty figures were not established yet.

“There was fighting yesterday … the planes were bombing our territories,” said Aguer.

Information Minister Dr Barnaba Marial Benjamin said some territories in South Sudan’s northern Bhar-el-Ghazal were also attacked, but said the ground forces were repulsed.

The fresh accusations come a day ahead of a summit between President Salva Kiir and his Sudanese counterpart, Omar al-Bashir, in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

The two leaders are expected to discuss the implementation of nine cooperation agreements that were signed in September, but have since then remained in only on paper.

“That has always been how Khartoum behaves. They speak both the language of peace and language of war. You don’t know which is which,” Mr Marial said.

The Kiir-Bashir summit wouldn’t be affected, according to the minister.

“That will not stop us. Our president is proceeding to Addis Ababa to meet Bashir,” Mr Marial said, calling on the African Union and the United Nations to condemn “this attitude of war without provocation.”

Since the secession of South Sudan, several post-secession issues with Sudan have not been resolved, including oil flow, border demarcations and the status of the disputed Abyei region.

Stakes have been high between the two countries, at times raising fears of return to full-scale war.