South Sudan repulses 4 attacks by Sudan troops
Source: Agencies |
April 20, 2012, Friday
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SOUTH Sudan repulsed four attacks from Sudan over a 24-hour period as fighting on the border showed no signs of slowing, a military official said yesterday.
In a further escalation of rhetoric, Sudan President Omar al-Bashir said South Sudan's recent military maneuvers have revived the spirit of "jihad" in Sudan. Despite the threats and hostilities, a government spokesman said South Sudan was only defending its territory.
South Sudan military spokesman Colonel Philip Aguer said three of the attacks were on Wednesday and one yesterday. He did not give a death toll.
South Sudan broke away from Sudan last year after a self-determination vote for independence. That vote was guaranteed in a mediated end to decades of civil war between the two sides. But the sides never fully agreed where their shared border lay, nor did they reach a deal on how to share oil wealth that is pumped from the border region.
Instead, the two countries have seen a sharp increase in violence in recent weeks, especially around the oil-producing town of Heglig. Both sides claim Heglig as their own.
South Sudan government spokesman Barnaba Marial Benjamin said South Sudan does not consider itself at war with Sudan, but he said the south is defending territory it believes it owns based on borders outlined in 1956 by British colonialists.
Sudan President al-Bashir on Wednesday threatened to topple the South Sudan government after accusing the south of trying to take down his Khartoum-based government.
Al-Bashir continued his hardline rhetoric yesterday in an address to a "popular defense" brigade headed to the Heglig area. The ceremony was held in al-Obeid, Kordofan. "Sudan will cut off the hand that harms it," said al-Bashir.
The capture of Heglig by South Sudan "has revived the spirit of jihad and martyrdom among the Sudanese people."
In a further escalation of rhetoric, Sudan President Omar al-Bashir said South Sudan's recent military maneuvers have revived the spirit of "jihad" in Sudan. Despite the threats and hostilities, a government spokesman said South Sudan was only defending its territory.
South Sudan military spokesman Colonel Philip Aguer said three of the attacks were on Wednesday and one yesterday. He did not give a death toll.
South Sudan broke away from Sudan last year after a self-determination vote for independence. That vote was guaranteed in a mediated end to decades of civil war between the two sides. But the sides never fully agreed where their shared border lay, nor did they reach a deal on how to share oil wealth that is pumped from the border region.
Instead, the two countries have seen a sharp increase in violence in recent weeks, especially around the oil-producing town of Heglig. Both sides claim Heglig as their own.
South Sudan government spokesman Barnaba Marial Benjamin said South Sudan does not consider itself at war with Sudan, but he said the south is defending territory it believes it owns based on borders outlined in 1956 by British colonialists.
Sudan President al-Bashir on Wednesday threatened to topple the South Sudan government after accusing the south of trying to take down his Khartoum-based government.
Al-Bashir continued his hardline rhetoric yesterday in an address to a "popular defense" brigade headed to the Heglig area. The ceremony was held in al-Obeid, Kordofan. "Sudan will cut off the hand that harms it," said al-Bashir.
The capture of Heglig by South Sudan "has revived the spirit of jihad and martyrdom among the Sudanese people."
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