TASHWIN, South Sudan — Sudan on Tuesday carried out new airstrikes
inside South Sudan, as rival armies exchanged artillery fire in the
latest round of fierce fighting in contested border regions.
An
AFP correspondent in the South Sudanese frontline village of Tashwin
heard heavy artillery shelling and multiple airstrikes lasting for
around an hour, with one bomb dropped by aircraft landing less than a
kilometre (mile) away.
Khartoum vowed late Tuesday to react with
"all means" against a three-pronged attack it said South Sudanese forces
had launched against South Kordofan state, including its key
oil-producing region of Heglig.
A statement on the official SUNA news agency warned of "destruction" in South Sudan.
The
bombing follows border fighting that erupted two weeks ago between the
two neighbours, the most serious unrest since Juba's independence last
July, and prompted international fears of a return to full-blown
conflict.
Southern Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin
said that Sudanese airplanes "bombarded Abiemnom, well within the
sovereign territory of South Sudan."
"Initial reports confirmed
that four civilians have been wounded, including a small child,"
Benjamin told reporters in the Southern capital Juba.
Clashes last
month broke out along the undemarcated and disputed frontier in the
Heglig area, with each side blaming the other for starting the fighting.
The
dusty village of Abiemnom in Unity state is some 40 kilometres (25
miles) south of the border with Sudan, but also lies on a strategic road
to the contested Abyei region, some 10 kilometres (six miles) away to
the west.
"The intended target was a strategic bridge in Abiemnom," leading to Abyei, Benjamin added.
The
statement on SUNA claimed that South Sudanese forces were backed by
rebel groups. It did not specify which rebels but the Sudan People's
Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) has been battling government troops
in South Kordofan since June.
Sudan has also previously alleged that Darfuri rebels were operating in the Heglig area.
South Sudan has denied backing opposition groups in the north.
African
Union mediator Thabo Mbeki held talks late last week over the crisis
with South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and his Sudanese counterpart
Omar al-Bashir, but tensions remain high between the two sides.
Benjamin
claimed northern troops, backed by tanks and proxy militia forces, were
advancing towards the South's Unity state, where key oilfields are
located.
"Two brigades of Sudan Armed Forces, backed by 16 tanks
and accompanied by members of the mujahedeen and other militia loyal to
Khartoum, are currently moving towards Unity state with the intent to
capture and occupy the oilfields," he added.
"The Republic of
South Sudan condemns the bombardment of innocent civilians, and calls on
Sudan to immediately withdraw from the sovereign territory of South
Sudan."
He did not clarify whether northern troops had crossed the border.
Large Southern Sudanese troops movements were seen close to the frontier, with convoys heading up to the frontline.
Despite
the violence on the border, Juba ordered Tuesday that Sudanese
nationals living in the newly independent country be treated with
respect, after a deadline requiring them to formalise their status
expired.
"All nationals of the Republic of Sudan are declared
foreigners as of 9 April 2012," South Sudanese Interior Minister Alison
Magaya said in a statement.
"Sudanese nationals shall be accorded fair treatment and full respect in regard to their human rights."
An
April 8 time limit ended a grace period after South Sudan separated in
the wake of an overwhelming "yes" vote in an independence referendum
that followed Africa's longest civil war.
Tens of thousands of
Sudanese are believed to live in the South -- although the exact figure
is not known -- significantly fewer than Southerners in Sudan.
More than 370,000 Southerners have returned from Sudan since October 2010, but an estimated 500,000 others remain in the north.
Those
seeking to apply for northern residence need documents from South Sudan
but many cannot afford a trip South to get the relevant papers.
Copyright © 2012 AFP. All rights reserved.
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