March 26, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government on Monday
announced that president Omer Hassan al-Bashir’s scheduled summit with
his southern counterpart Salva Kiir on 3 April has been cancelled in
wake of the most serious confrontation between the armies of the two
neighbouring states on Monday, since partition in July last year.
- South Sudan president, Salva Kiir announces SPLA control of Heglig, March 26, 2012 ( Photo Larco Lomayat)
On Monday Kiir claimed that the military escalation was provoked by
Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) coordinated aerial attacks on Jau and Pan
Akuach followed by a ground forces assault against another area called
Teshwin.
"This morning the Sudanese Air Force came and bombed our areas in
Unity State but the [Sudan People Liberation Army] SPLA forces fought
back and took control of all their positions,” Kiir told delegates of
his ruling Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) who convened in South
Sudan’s capital of Juba.
"After this intensive aerial bombardment our forces were attacked by Sudan Armed Forces and militia,” he added.
The former rebel-commander-turned-president said the SPLA was able to
stop SAF advancement into the South Sudanese territories. Kiir went on
to say that his country’s army managed to pursue SAF units all the way
into oil-rich town of Heglig.
He claimed that in the course of today’s battles Heglig fell under the control of SPLA.
"They attacked our forces and our forces were able to repulse them
and they ran away. The last information that came to me was that our
forces have also taken over Heglig”, said the South Sudanese president,
amid ululating sounds and chants of “SPLA Oyee, SPLA Oyee”.
Kiir underscored that his country has long been convinced that Heglig
belonged to South Sudan but that he was willing to get it back legally
and through negotiations.
"Khartoum must blame the existing groups from within it that want to
drag the two countries into war," Kiir said before adding that SPLA’s
takeover of Heglig was necessitated by the current situation.
"We said many times that we do not want war but they wanted it and we
did not intend to recover Heglig by force but through peace and law but
they wanted [a show of] power so [we] let them see it" Kiir added.
But SAF spokesman, al-Sawarmi Khalid Sa’ad, while confirming fighting
on the borders of Sudan’s South Kordofan State and South Sudan’s Unity
State, said the clashes were "limited" and carried out by the SPLA as
well as fighters from Darfur rebels the Justice and Equality Movement
(JEM).
Sa’ad in his initial brief statement said that JEM was tasked with
infiltrating Heglig to target an army position outside the oilfields
while SPLA clashed with SAF in other parts of the borders.
Later the SAF spokesman issued a detailed statement saying that at
8am a small SPLA force crossed into Sudan’s at Teshwin where they asked
to meet with the commanding officer to discuss what they claimed was
"Sudanese intentions to carry[out] an incursion" inside South Sudan.
When SAF’s commanding officer came out to meet the SPLA force, the
latter withdrew and came back at 2pm with two battalions and launched an
attack on SAF’s contingent stationed at Teshwin, the statement said.
SAF fought "bravely" after which it retreated 10 kilometers north of
the international borders, Sa’ad added. After that the SPLA leadership
ordered JEM units harboured by Juba to move in and take part in the
assault, he said.
"Our forces managed to defeat the attack [launched] on two axes"
Sa’ad said, and in the process destroyed two T-55 tanks, six armored
vehicles with mounted guns and rocket launchers.
The military spokesperson said scores of SPLA fighters were killed
after which they withdrew back into South Sudan, while SAF was making
preparations to expel the "remnants of aggressors" in the area.
Philip Aguer, the spokesman for the SPLA, also confirmed the
fighting, adding that when speaking to ground troops at 5pm on Monday
evening, the conflict was ongoing. He said there were currently an
unknown number of casualties and that the conflict was “an act of
self-defense” on Juba’s part.
He contradicted what Kiir said about SPLA controlling all of Heglig
but said that parts of the area were now under control of the southern
army.
"After repulsing the attack, the SPLA pursued the withdrawing SAF
force and they captured two bases of SAF between Heglig and Teshwin,"
the SPLA said.
“We still commit ourselves to all the security agreements between us.
Despite all this fighting we are committed to peace," he added.
In Khartoum Abdullah Masar, the Information Minister who is also the
government’s spokesperson, dismissed South Sudan claims saying that
Kiir’s remarks on occupying Heglig "reflected extreme hatred towards
Sudan and its people and the Armed Forces".
Masar added that the recent agreements signed with South Sudan in
Addis Ababa and last week’s visit by a high-level delegation from Juba
to Khartoum was "deceptive and misleading".
Multiple sources in Heglig speaking to Sudan Tribune said that
clashes are ongoing around the area and that gunfire can be heard but
denied that SPLA has taken control. They said that the SPLA appears to
be approximately six kilometres outside of Heglig suggesting that it
could launch a fresh assault at night.
Oilfields workers have been evacuated while SAF has taken positions inside the town in preparation for a possible attack.
The attacking forces appeared to have targeted an army garrison close
to Heglig, the sources said, leaving two tanks destroyed. They added
that the assailants overlooked the oil pumps and focused on SAF units.
KIIR-BASHIR SUMMIT
Last week the SPLM Secretary General Pagan Amum led a delegation
visited Khartoum to invite their "brother" Bashir to the summit with
Kiir. Bashir gave the OK for the visit but officials in Khartoum later
that cautioned that this is a preliminary approval and that the final
decision has yet to be made.
The visit and the softened tone of both sides following the framework
accords signed earlier this month on borders and nationality heightened
hopes that there could be a thaw in relations soon after months of
heightened tensions.
On Monday the Sudanese 2nd Vice-President al-Haj Adam Yusuf, in a
live TV program stressed that the repercussions of the Heglig attack
does not allow for the visit to take place and accused South Sudan of
plotting to control Heglig from the very beginning to prevent Sudan from
using the oil wells.
Yusuf warned that any attack on Sudan’s territory will be dealt with
swiftly and emphasised that the attack will not pass lightly even if
Juba makes a formal apology.
"If our armed forces are in the field fighting now then there will be
not talk about negotiations until the situation is settled and if we
are forced to go to war we must fight back" he added.
UN CALLS FOR CALM
In New York, the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon pleaded for calm.
The statement attributed to UN chief said that he is "deeply
concerned" about the military clashes and called on the two countries
"to fully respect and implement the agreements they have already reached
on security, border monitoring and Abyei".
Ban also urged the parties "to utilize to the fullest extent existing
political and security mechanisms to peacefully address their
differences".
He welcomed "the spirit of cooperation recently shown by the
Governments of Sudan and South Sudan in addressing outstanding
post-secession issues" and called for holding the Bashir-Kiir summit as
planned.
(ST)
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