SPLA accuses northern army of border attack
By Bonifacio Taban Kuich
August 6, 2013 (BENTIU) – A South Sudan army (SPLA) official has accused northern forces of allegedly shooting its patrol soldiers at disputed border area between the two countries.
The clash, according to Unity state’s fourth division commander, occurred after his forces witnessed their northern counterparts allegedly digging up more oil wells in Tachuin, a disputed area on Monday.
“The incident occurred when a group of SPLA soldiers accessed the buffer zone areas, which were used by Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) to drill fresh oil wells, resulting into unilateral fire exchange between the two armies,” James Koang Chuol told Sudan Tribune Tuesday.
He accused the northern army of violation provisions of the the security agreements reached between both countries.
“We have for quite a long time been peaceful at the border, it was only yesterday when the incident occurred, but [the] situation is normal,” he said.
“We cannot attack SAF with only six soldiers while patrolling,” he added.
The army official, however, stressed that the confrontation between the two armies was “accidental” and not “intentional”, but blamed SAF for what occurred.
The incident came a day after a joint border verification monitoring team from the African Union and the SPLA visited Unity state to brief the governor on a proposed map demanding that both side withdraw their troops at least 10-km from the buffer zone.
The proposal, according to Chuol, will help reduce more tension at the border between the two countries.
“What we are trying do is to have peaceful coexistent between the two army forces to withdraw and create a buffer zone at the border, so that we have peace along our borders,” he said.
DIFFERENT LOCATION
Al-Sawarmi Khaled, the spokesperson for SAF said limited clashes occurred with the SPLA in Heglig near the border between the two countries on Monday.
The incident, he told SUNA, took place when the SPLA patrol got few kilometres inside the Sudanese area of Heglig, an oil producing area not far from the border between South Kordofan and Unity state.
He added that a Sudanese soldier was killed and two others injured while the SPLA patrol pulled back to South Sudan.
In April 2012, the South Sudanese army seized the oil producing area during 10 days before to withdraw its troops under international pressure preventing a return to all-out war between the two sides.
Heglig or Panthou, which is located at 23 km from Unity state, is claimed by the South Sudan but the African Union mediation refused to include it in the disputed areas.
The two countries reconfirmed recently their commitment to deploy joint patrols to monitor the border and to establish a demilitarized zone on the disputed areas.
They also vowed to stop supporting rebel groups from both sides and to open 10 crossing points on the border to facilitate the movement of people and goods between the two sides.
(ST)