African Union demands South Sudan withdrawal from Heglig oilfield

The African Union (AU) has called on Juba to withdraw its troops from the disputed Heglig oilfield in the wake of the violent fighting that has been raging on the border region between Sudan and South Sudan.

The AU said on Wednesday that it is “deeply alarmed” by the ongoing violence and urged both sides to exercise restraint.

Tensions have continued for a second day between Khartoum and Juba after the South seized Heglig oilfield on Tuesday.

Sudan further accused the South of aggression and warned that it will mobilize its army against its neighbor. Earlier on the day, Khartoum also called for a halt to negotiations with Juba that were underway in Addis Ababa over oil and border demarcation with the mediation of the African Union.

South Sudan in turn allegedly blamed Sudan of bombing a village on its side of the border.

The border fighting intensified between the two neighbors last month, the most serious unrest since Juba’s independence last July, prompting international fears of a return to all-out war.

South Sudan became independent on July 9, 2011 after decades of conflict with Sudan, which claimed the lives of thousands of people.

The oil-rich nation is one of the least developed countries in the world, where one in every seven child dies before the age of five.