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Calmness returns to Higlieg area after clashes between Sudan, South Sudan

29 March 2012 01:26 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Two days after limited clashes between Sudan and South Sudan armies, calmness returned to Higlieg area in Sudan’s South Kordofan State on the border between the two countries, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Seven km into the depth of Sudan’s borderline, a Xinhua correspondent, who visited the area on Wednesday with a press delegation, saw signs of clashes which took place during the past two days and which prompted the tension once again between Sudan and South Sudan.

Three bodies were seen in the area which witnessed the military confrontation. Sudanese military men said they belonged to fighters of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) -- South Sudan’s army.

Flames were still seen coming out of remains of temporary wooden houses that were used by workers operating a Sudanese oil field some three km from the border between Sudan and South Sudan.

Wreckages of military vehicles were also seen scattering around the area that the Sudanese army said were belonging to the southern Sudanese army which launched the attack against Higlieg without entering it.

Sudan’s Oil Minister Awad Ahmed Al-Jaz said the work at the oil fields was continuing and that the oil production has not been affected, reiterating that Sudan would not allow any aggression on its territories and capabilities.

"This attack was meant to halt pumping of the Sudanese oil and sabotage the national economy, but the flow of the Sudanese oil continued and will continue, thanks to steadfastness of the national and foreign workers, engineers and technicians. The enemies will not be able break our determination," Al-Jaz told reporters Wednesday.

A representative of the Greater Nile Petroleum affirmed that the national and foreign oil companies were continuing their work as usual, pointing out that the current total oil production at Al- Hamra oil field amounted to 60,000 barrels a day, expected to reach 70,000 a day by the end of the year.

Safwan Abdalla, Director General of the Yemeni company at Higlieg oil field, meanwhile, said that "no evacuation operations were carried out for the workers. The security situation is stable and we have received confirmations from the government that all matters are under control."

South Kordofan State Governor Ahmed Haroun, for his part, accused South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit of lying, referring to Kiir’s recent statements in which he said South Sudan army had controlled Higlieg.

"Salva Kiir lied to the world and this visit proves that Higlieg is safe, stable and under our full control," said Haroun.

In the meantime, Gen. Abdul-Muniem, Deputy Chief of Staff- Operations of the Sudanese Army, announced that all the areas occupied by the South Sudan army in the past two days have been " liberated."

"The aggressors have completely been repulsed outside the Sudanese territories. There is not even a single foreign soldier inside our lands. The Sudanese armed forces are ready to respond to any aggression," he told reporters.

Military clashes erupted Monday between Sudan and South Sudan armies in Higlieg in the border area.

South Sudan President Kiir on Monday announced that his forces had entered Sudan’s Higlieg, accusing the Sudanese army of bombarding Jao area in South Sudan on Monday morning.

The military escalation between Sudan and South Sudan came at a time when the two sides have shown signs of understanding as they have agreed to convene a summit of the two countries’ presidents on April 3 in South Sudan’s capital Juba to discuss outstanding issues between them.

The two countries have failed to demarcate their joint border and dispute over many border areas including Jao which witnessed armed clashes on Feb. 26 in addition to the Abyei area.

Sudan and South Sudan on Feb. 10 signed a "non-aggression deal" to avoid an armed conflict between the two sides.

The agreement, reached under the African Union mediation in Addis Ababa, stipulated that each side should respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the other, not to intervene in the other’s internal affairs, refrain from use of force and observe common interests and peaceful co-existence.