South Sudan captures contested oil town amid tensions
Sudanese soldiers stand to attention during President Omar al-Bashir’s visit to the Popular Defence Forces in Khartoum on March 3, 2012.
A top Sudanese official today said the country's troops have been forced to withdraw following a day of fighting with the secessionist South, which invaded a contested oil town Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.
South Sudan split from Sudan last year.
Tensions between the two sides have been on the rise due to continued debate over the disputed Abyei region, with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon today calling for restraint amid fears of a return to violence, said Reuters.
The two sides waged a brutal, decades-long war, but since pledging an end to violence have not been able to establish key resource-sharing agreements or define their shared border.
More from GlobalPost: Sudan clashes with South Sudan
Sudan's government today said the South Sudan Army has captured the town of Heglig, which lies some 60 miles east of the contested Abyei area, according to AP. Reuters said the town contains an oilfield critical to the north's economy, but AP said South Sudan's authorities refused to say whether they were in control of the fields.
South Sudan, meanwhile, has charged Sudan with bombing a village on its territory, according to Reuters.
Talks between the two sides have reportedly been suspended, with clashes breaking out last week as well.
South Sudan Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin told AP the "battle is raging" and violence "spreading all over."
Ban spokesman Martin Nesirky said the UN leader spoke with South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit today by telephone, urging that a summit be held between the two sides' leaders immediately to resolve the conflict, according to AP.
A 2009 Hague ruling put Heglig in South Kordofan, in north Sudan in a ruling rejected by South Sudan, said AP.
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