SOUTH SUDAN: South Sudanese government says will pull its armed forces (SPLA) out of the contested Heglig oil region within three days

Record ID: 417535

  • Title: SOUTH SUDAN: South Sudanese government says will pull its armed forces (SPLA) out of the contested Heglig oil region within three days
  • Date: 21st April 2012
  • Summary: JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN (APRIL 20, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH SUDAN'S GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN AND MINISTER OF INFORMATION, BARNABA MARIAL BENJAMIN, SAYING: "To create an environment for the resumption of dialogue with Sudan, the Republic of South Sudan announces that the Sudan People's Liberation Army troops have been ordered to withdr
  • Embargoed: 6th May 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Sudan, South Sudan
  • Country: South Sudan
  • Topics: Conflict,International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA53M4Y0NYTLOA3HVFNFCAWOXUT
  • Story Text: South Sudan said on Friday (April 20) it will start the immediate withdrawal of its troops from the Heglig oil region, following the worst border violence between Sudan and the South since secession.
    The newly-independent South last week seized the Heglig oilfield, previously under Sudan's control. Khartoum vowed to recapture the region, and global powers have urged the South to withdraw to avert a broader war.
    Fighting between the two sides has been fuelled by territorial disputes, ethnic animosity and quarrels over oil.
    "To create an environment for the resumption of dialogue with Sudan, the Republic of South Sudan announces that the Sudan People's Liberation Army troops have been ordered to withdraw from Panthou Heglig. An orderly withdrawal will commence immediately and shall be completed within three days," said South Sudan's government spokesman and minister of information, Barnaba Marial Benjamin.
    Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir all but declared war against the South on Thursday (April 19), vowing to teach its rulers a "final lesson by force".
    "The decision to pull out from Panthou Heglig is without prejudice to our stand that Panthou remains an integral part of the Republic of South Sudan. We therefore expect that the final status of Panthou Heglig and other disputed border areas will be referred for international arbitration," Marial added.
    U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon on Thursday termed South Sudan's seizure of Heglig as an "illegal act" and called on both countries to stop border clashes spiralling into war as the United States warned of a "worrying" escalation in rhetoric.
    Mounting violence since Sudan split into two countries last year has raised the prospect of two sovereign African states waging war against each other openly for the first time since Ethiopia fought newly independent Eritrea in 1998-2000.
    On Tuesday (April 17), the 15-nation U.N. Security Council discussed the possibility of imposing sanctions on Sudan and South Sudan if the fighting did not stop.
    Distrust runs deep between the neighbours, who are at loggerheads over the position of their borders, how much the landlocked south should pay to transport its oil through Sudan, and the division of national debt, among other issues.
    Both are poor countries. South Sudan is one of the poorest in the world, and the dispute between them has already halted nearly all the oil production that underpins both economies.
    "A more robust international engagement with efforts to promote the peaceful resolution of ongoing disputes between the republic of South Sudan and the Republic of Sudan is now required," Marial said.
    South Sudan seceded from Sudan in July, six months after a referendum agreed under a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war that killed more than 2 million people.
    South Sudanese in the streets appeared divided about the withdrawal, because most firmly believe the territory lies within the South.
    Nicky Waho, a Juba resident, is undecided.
    "Yes, because it is our young men and women at the front line and I don't think South Sudan is ready for any war at the moment. No, because every country deserves the right to protect its sovereignty, its land, its people and this whole Heglig thing, the international community is turning a blind eye to what the Arabs are doing, the north of Sudan," Waho said.
    Following patriotic rallies in the capital supporting the capture of Heglig, others are not so happy with the retreat.
    "For me I think South Sudan should stay in Heglig because seeing as it is their land, they should be there, and if they have a reason that they should withdraw there should be some conditions that the international world should put there," said Aler Aler, another Juba resident.
    The withdrawal could be a sign that both sides can climb down from the brink of an all-out war.
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