“Immediate and unconditional” end to the conflict between Sudan and South Sudan demanded by UN Security Council

In response to the escalating border clashes between Sudan and South Sudan, the U.N Security Council has demanded “a complete, immediate, and unconditional: end to all fighting; withdrawal from Heglig; end to aerial bombardments; end to repeated incidents of cross-border violence between Sudan and South Sudan; and an end to support by both sides to proxies in the other country." 

The Security Council also stated that, “The recent violence threatens to return both countries to full-scale war and the period of tragic loss of life and suffering, destroyed infrastructure, and economic devastation, which they have worked so hard and long to overcome.”

In recent weeks, South Sudan has accused its northern neighbour of launching airstrikes against its oilfields. This has been denied by Sudan, which claimed it had only attacked South Sudanese artillery positions that had been used to attack the north.

South Sudan responded to the UN Security Council’s demands by insisting that South Sudanese forces would only be removed from the Heglig region if a “mechanism was put in place to guarantee that the area could not be used to launch further attacks against South Sudan” and if a neutral peacekeeping force was deployed until the situation was resolved diplomatically.

Dispute over oil transit fees

The current violence stems from the ongoing dispute between the two countries over oil transit fees. Accusations of missed payments and oil theft, as well as South Sudan’s decision to suspend all oil its 350 000 bpd oil production has gradually ratcheted up tensions between the two states over recent months.

The conflict and South Sudan’s suspension of production has been reported by industry analysts as being one of the key factors sustaining the present inflated price of oil.

Edited from various sources by David Bizley

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