PaanLuel Wël Media Ltd – South Sudan

"We the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, with so little, for so long, we are now qualified to do anything, with nothing" By Konstantin Josef Jireček, a Czech historian, diplomat and slavist.

South Sudan says Heglig oilfield reduced “to rubble,” Sudan denies

Juba accuses Khartoum of bomb attack

Former civil war foes close to full-blown war after South Sudan seizes Heglig oilfield, prompting shelling and air raids by Sudan

Sudan's vice-president, Ali Osman Mohamed Taha visiting Wounded soldiers at Khartoum hospital

Sudan’s vice-president, Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, right, and the defence minister, Abdul Rahim Mohamed Hussein, visiting a soldier wounded during clashes in the Heglig area. South Sudan claimed hundreds of Sudanese soldiers had been killed. Photograph: STR/EPA

South Sudan has accused Sudan of bombing a disputed oilfield “to rubble” on Sunday , a claim that Khartoum denied as it said it would not negotiate until the south withdrew all its troops from the area.

South Sudan’s information minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin, told reporters in Juba that the aerial bombardment of the facility – in the Heglig region – had caused serious damage.

“They are bombing the central processing facility and the [oil] tanks to rubble as we speak,” he said.

Sudan’s state minister for information denied the charge, however, telling al-Jazeera television that Sudan “did not and will not” destroy the oil facilities.

Fighting between the two neighbours has already halted production at the facility, depriving Sudan of about half of its 115,000-barrel-a-day oil output.

Both sides regularly make conflicting claims and limited access to the remote region makes it difficult to independently verify their statements.

But the seriousness of the allegations underscored how close the former civil war foes are close to full-blown war as the worst fighting since Juba declared its independence in July continued apace.

On Tuesday, South Sudan seized control of the Heglig oilfield, prompting drawing an angry response from Khartoum , which vowed to recapture the region.

On Sunday, South Sudan’s military (SPLA) spokesman, Philip Aguer, said by phone that Sudanese aircraft were continuing efforts to dislodge southern forces from the area, subjecting them to an aerial bombardment.

“There has been intensive air bombardment against our position in Heglig since the morning,” he said, adding there had been no ground fighting there on Sunday.

Sudan’s army had also shelled a western part of South Sudan’s Upper Nile state, in an apparent attempt to open a new front, he said.

A spokesman for Sudan’s armed forces did not answer for comment. The Sudanese army said it had entered the Heglig region on Saturday, but South Sudan denied that.

Worsening violence in recent weeks has all but killed hopes that the two countries will reach a swift agreement on disputed issues such as the demarcation of their 1,800-km (1,200-mile) border, the division of national debt and the status of citizens in each other’s territory.

Sudan has already pulled out of talks over those and other issues. It says it will not return to the negotiating table until the south pulls out of Heglig.

“Sudan reiterated its stated and fixed position that it will not negotiate with South Sudan unless it withdraws its forces from the Heglig region,” the SUNA state news agency reported on Sunday, citing President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

Few casualty figures have been released since fighting began, but South Sudan’s Benjamin said on Sunday that 19 of his government’s troops had been killed and 33 wounded since the outbreak of violence.

He also claimed that 240 Sudanese troops had been killed, numbers impossible to independently verify.

The two sides fought one of Africa’s longest and deadliest civil wars, which ended in 2005 with a peace deal that paved the way for the South’s independence.

Egypt, which borders Sudan to the north, is mounting a diplomatic offensive to try to defuse the current tensions.

Egypt’s foreign minister, Mohamed Kamel Amr, arrived at Khartoum airport on Sunday for talks. “We are trying to preserve blood and resources, and find a peaceful solution, because this issue does not just concern the two countries, but all their neighbouring countries,” he told reporters in Khartoum, adding he would travel to Juba on Monday.

Global powers have widely condemned South Sudan’s seizure of Heglig, urging the two sides to stop fighting and return to talks. South Sudan says Heglig, which many southerners refer to as Panthou, is its rightful territory, an assertion Khartoum hotly contests.

The border clashes come as Sudan is battling armed insurgencies in its western Darfur region as well as in its border states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

Khartoum accuses South Sudan of supporting the rebels in those areas. Juba denies that.

Both nations are also under increasing economic pressure from a loss of oil revenues.

Landlocked South Sudan shut down its own output – about 350,000 barrels a day – in January after failing to agree how much it should pay to export crude via pipelines and other infrastructure in Sudan.

Inflation has risen sharply since, while both currencies have depreciated on the black market. In Juba, motorists queued for hours to try to buy fuel as filling stations ran dry due to a shortage of dollars after the oil shutdown.

Sabir Hassan, one of Sudan’s top negotiators, said talks on economic issues were impossible amid the current tensions. “This is a climate of war,” he told Reuters. “The best thing is for the south to stop this policy, and for the two sides to sit down and try to negotiate … and try to live in peace.”

“War is imminent between the two countries if that policy continues in the south,” Hassan added.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/15/south-sudan-accuses-sudan-bombing-oilfield

 South Sudan says Heglig oilfield reduced “to rubble,” Sudan denies
 
updated 4/15/2012 12:35:40 PM ET

JUBA/KHARTOUM — South Sudan accused Sudan of bombing a disputed major oil field “to rubble” on Sunday but Khartoum denied that and said it would not negotiate until Juba withdrew all its troops from the same area.

South Sudan’s Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin told reporters in Juba the aerial bombardment of the facility – in the Heglig region – had caused serious damage.

“They are bombing the central processing facility and the tanks to rubble as we speak,” he said.

Sudan’s state minister for information denied the charge, however, telling Al Jazeera television that Sudan “did not and will not” destroy the oil facilities.

Fighting between the two neighbors has already halted production at the facility, depriving Sudan of about half of its 115,000-barrel-a-day oil output.

Both sides regularly make conflicting claims and limited access to the remote region makes it difficult to independently verify their statements.

But the seriousness of the allegations underscored how close the two former civil war foes are to the brink of a full-blown war as the worst fighting since Juba declared its independence in July continued apace.

On Tuesday, South Sudan seized control of the Heglig oilfield, drawing an angry response from Khartoum which vowed to recapture the region.

On Sunday, South Sudan’s military (SPLA) spokesman Philip Aguer said by phone that Sudanese aircraft were continuing efforts to dislodge southern forces from the area, subjecting them to an aerial bombardment.

“There has been intensive air bombardment against our position in Heglig since the morning,” he said, adding there had been no ground fighting there on Sunday.

Sudan’s army had also shelled a western part of South Sudan’s Upper Nile state, in an apparent attempt to open a new front, he said.

A spokesman for Sudan’s armed forces did not immediately answer calls to his mobile phone for comment. The Sudanese army said it had entered the Heglig region on Saturday, but South Sudan denied that.

Worsening violence in recent weeks has all but killed hopes that the two countries will reach a swift agreement on disputed issues such as the demarcation of their 1,800-km (1,200-mile) border, the division of national debt and the status of citizens in each other’s territory.

Sudan has already pulled out of talks over those and other issues. It says it will not return to the negotiating table until the South pulls out of Heglig.

“Sudan reiterated its stated and fixed position that it will not negotiate with South Sudan unless it withdraws its forces from the Heglig region,” state news agency SUNA reported on Sunday, citing President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

EGYPT STEPS IN

The two sides fought one of Africa’s longest and deadliest civil wars, which ended in 2005 with a peace deal that paved the way for the South’s independence

Egypt, which borders Sudan to the north, is mounting a diplomatic offensive to try to defuse the current tensions.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr arrived at Khartoum airport on Sunday for talks.

“We are trying to preserve blood and resources and find a peaceful solution, because this issue does not just concern the two countries, but all their neighbouring countries,” he told reporters in Khartoum, adding he will travel to Juba on Monday.

Global powers have widely condemned South Sudan’s seizure of Heglig, urging the two sides to stop fighting and return to talks. South Sudan says Heglig, which many southerners refer to as Panthou, is its rightful territory, an assertion Khartoum hotly contests.

The border clashes come as Sudan is battling armed insurgencies in its western Darfur region as well as in its border states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

Khartoum accuses South Sudan of supporting the rebels in those areas. Juba denies that.

Both nations are also under increasing economic pressure from a loss of oil revenues.

Landlocked South Sudan shut down its own output – about 350,000 barrels a day – in January after failing to agree how much it should pay to export crude via pipelines and other infrastructure in Sudan.

Inflation has risen sharply since, while both currencies have depreciated on the black market.

Sabir Hassan, one of Sudan’s top negotiators, said talks on economic issues were impossible amid the current tensions.

“This is a climate of war,” he told Reuters. “The best thing is for the south to stop this policy, and for the two sides to sit down and try to negotiate … and try to live in peace.”

“War is imminent between the two countries if that policy continues in the south,” Hassan added.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47053584/ns/business-stocks_and_economy/#.T4sq-OlYtv0

South Sudan says Heglig oilfield reduced “to rubble,” Sudan denies
msnbc.com
JUBA/KHARTOUM — South Sudan accused Sudan of bombing a disputed major oil field “to rubble” on Sunday but Khartoum denied that and said it would not negotiate until Juba withdrew all its troops from the same area. Major Market Indices South Sudan’s 

Toyota proposes to build Lamu to South Sudan pipeline
Daily Nation
File | Nation Left to right: Presidents Salva Kiir of South Sudan and Mwai Kibaki of Kenya, and Ethiopian premier Meles Zenawi at the inauguration of the Lamu port project. By GIFFINS OMWENGA gomwenga@ke.nationmedia.com Car maker, Toyota, has proposed 
Sudanese air raid kills civilians in South
AlterNet
A Sudanese air raid on a border city in South Sudan killed five civilians Saturday, a local official said, as Juba’s army said it was still in control of the disputed oil hub of Heglig. Protesters wave flags outside the United Nations Mission in South 
Egypt Supports Sudan’s Call for Immediate Withdrawal of South Sudan Troops 
Sudan Vision
Khartoum – Egypt announced its indefinite support to Sudan’s call for withdrawal of the forces of the State of South Sudan from Heglig and expressed its astonishment regarding the hostile behavior of the State of South Sudan toward the Sudan, 
Ban repeats appeal for end to conflict in conversation with Sudan’s foreign 
UN News Centre
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today spoke with Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ali Ahmed Karti and emphasized the need for an immediate de-escalation of the ongoing conflict with South Sudan, noting that there can be no military solution to the dispute.

Sudanese air raid kills civilians in South Sudan border city
The West Australian
JUBA (AFP) – A Sudanese plane bombed Bentiu, capital of South Sudan’s oil-rich border state of Unity, on Saturday, killing five civilians and wounding six, a local government spokesman said. Gideon Gatfan, spokesman of the Unity state government, 

Sudan had to repel South
The Nation, Pakistan
KHARTOUM – Sudan told UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Saturday that it had no choice but to fight back against “aggression” from South Sudan. Foreign Minister Ali Karti made the remarks when Ban telephoned him, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Ethiopian private bank to join banking industry in South Sudan
Sudan Tribune
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle April 14, 2012(ADDIS ABABA) – One of Ethiopia’s leading banking groups United Bank is poised to open its first branch outside Ethiopia in South Sudan’s capital Juba, according to a release from the bank. The new venture will make it 
Sudanese army retook control partially of Heglig area – spokesperson
Sudan Tribune
April 15, 2012 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) are at few kilometers from Heglig town and oilfields, announced Khaled Al-Sawarmi on Saturday evening twenty four hours after engaging the fight to retake the border area from the South Sudanese 
South Sudan: SAF Bombing Raids On Unity State Kills Civilians – Juba
AllAfrica.com
By Bonifacio Taban Kuich, 14 April 2012 Bentiu — Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) jets bombed Rubkotna bridge in Unity State on Saturday killing four civilians, injuring four, and killing one soldier according to Mac Paul, deputy director of South Sudan’s 
Citizens in South Sudan Commemorate Genocide
AllAfrica.com
By Ivan R. Mugisha, 15 April 2012 Close to thirty Rwandans working in Africa’s newest state, South Sudan, were joined by government officials and UN representatives to remember the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Alice Buhinja, a Rwandan working in 

In Sudan’s Nuba Mountains, rebels roll up string of victories
Kansas City Star
Hundreds of thousands have died, and Sudan’s South Kordofan state is a humanitarian wasteland, where aerial bombing by government planes has driven thousands of villagers into the countryside. When the rainy season begins next month, it will be nearly 

Returning Sudanese Child Soldiers Their Childhood
Inter Press Service
By Andrew Green* JUBA, Apr 15, 2012 (IPS) – As the process of reintegrating South Sudan’s child soldiers into their old lives begins soon, the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army renewal of its lapsed commitment to release all child soldiers from its 

SOUTH SUDAN GOVT SPOKESMAN SAYS SUDAN WARPLANES
Chicago Tribune
SOUTH SUDAN GOVT SPOKESMAN SAYS SUDAN WARPLANES BOMBING HEGLIG OIL FACILITIES “TO RUBBLE”
Egypt in push to end Sudan confrontation over oil
Malaysia Star
KHARTOUM/CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt is mounting a diplomatic offensive to defuse tensions between Sudan and South Sudan that have raised fears the two former civil war foes could return to a full-blown conflict. Egypt’s Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr Egypt intervenes to end confrontation in Sudan
gulfnews.com – ‎
Khartoum/Cairo: Egypt is mounting a diplomatic offensive to defuse tensions between Sudan and South Sudan that have raised fears the two former civil war foes could return to a full-blown conflict. Egypt’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Kamal Amr arrived at 
The Guardian – ‎
South Sudan has accused Sudan of bombing a disputed oilfield “to rubble” on Sunday , a claim that Khartoum denied as it said it would not negotiate until the south withdrew all its troops from the area. South Sudan’s information minister, 
Independent Online – ‎
By Reuters Armed soldiers stand guard at the Talodi market in South Kordofan, about 50km from Sudan’s ill-defined border with South Sudan. Juba – Motorists in South Sudan queued for hours on Sunday to try to buy petrol as filling stations ran dry due 
Chicago Tribune –
* Two sides issue conflicting claims over fighting * Sudan trying to open new front, South says * Egypt says seeks to contain border tensions (Adds details, reference to fuel queues) By Ulf Laessing and Alexander Dziadosz JUBA/KHARTOUM, 
Egyptian Gazette –
JUBA/KHARTOUM – South Sudan accused Sudan of bombing a disputed major oil field “to rubble” on Sunday but Khartoum denied that and said it would not negotiate until Juba withdrew all its troops from the same area. South Sudan’s Information Minister 
Agenzia Giornalistica Italia – ‎
(AGI) Juba – Khartoum artillery has shelled the Heglig oil infrastructures currently in the hands of troops from Juba. “We are shelling as we speak,” South Sudan’s Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin told journalists.
Daily Nation – ‎
ADRIEN O’HANESIAN/AFP Protesters react on a van outside the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in Juba at the weekend. Waving the flags of South Sudan and the SPLA they demanded the withdrawal of SAF forces from Heglig, yelling “SPLA Oyee!
Boston.com –
KAMPALA, Uganda—A military official says Sudanese troops attacked and briefly occupied a border town in South Sudan as clashes continue between the two nations. South Sudanese military spokesman Col. Philip Aguer said Sudanese forces were attempting to 
Chicago Tribune – ‎‎
JUBA (Reuters) – Motorists in South Sudan queued for hours on Sunday to try to buy petrol as filling stations ran dry due to a shortage of dollars less than three months after the world’s newest nation shut down oil production in a row with Sudan.
Financial Times – ‎
By William Wallis Sudan and South Sudan, its newly independent neighbour, have marched closer to resuming decades of open conflict after two days of fierce fighting in oil-rich territory along their disputed border. Philip Aguer, South Sudan’s army 
NewsDay –
KHARTOUM/JUBA- Sudanese warplanes bombed a disputed oil-producing border town seized by South Sudan this week, the southern state said on Saturday, in an escalation of border fighting that has edged the two countries closer to a full-blown war.
Reuters Africa – ‎
JUBA, April 15 (Reuters) – A South Sudanese government official on Sunday said Sudan was bombing facilities at the disputed Heglig oilfield and causing heavy damage after South Sudanese troops took control of the region on Tuesday.
Chicago Tribune – ‎
KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Sudan will not negotiate with South Sudan until the southern nation withdraws its forces from the oil-producing Heglig region, state media quoted Sudan’s president as saying on Sunday. “Sudan reiterated its stated and fixed 
AFP – ‎
KHARTOUM — Egypt is hoping to mediate in the crisis between Sudan and South Sudan, the country’s foreign minister said on Sunday in the heat of the most serious border clashes since the South’s independence. Mohammed Kamel Amr met Sudan’s President 
Capital FM Kenya – ‎‎
JUBA, Apr 15 – The first batch of Sudanese prisoners of war captured in days of bloody fighting arrived in the South Sudanese capital Sunday, as the South’s army said clashes continued in contested border regions. “We are respecting the international 
AFP – ‎
By Waakhe Wudu (AFP) – 1 hour ago JUBA — The first batch of Sudanese prisoners of war captured in days of bloody fighting arrived in the South Sudanese capital Sunday, as the South’s army said clashes continued in contested border regions.
Aljazeera.com – ‎
South Sudan says it is in control of disputed oil town and accuses the North of “indiscriminate bombing”. South Sudan has denied that the disputed, oil-rich area of Heglig has been reclaimed by Sudanese forces, saying that the South’s army was still in 
Daily Monitor – ‎
By AFP (email the author) Sudan’s army said on Friday it had launched a counter-attack towards Heglig town in its main oil-producing region, which South Sudanese forces seized earlier this week. “Now we are moving towards Heglig town” and are “close,” 
Irish Examiner –
Sudanese planes bombarded a disputed oil town near South Sudan’s border, a southern military official said, and a doctor said bombs aimed at strategic sites in the south’s Unity State killed five people. Col Philip Aguer said villages near the disputed 
Times LIVE –
A soldier wounded as South Sudan took control of the Heglig oil field, rests at a military hospital in Khartoum April 2012. Sudan’s army said it was advancing on the disputed town of Heglig on Friday in an attempt to oust South Sudanese forces from the 

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