Sudan’s armed forces are on the outskirts of Heglig town and are advancing toward the settlement, which was occupied by South Sudan this week, a Sudanese military spokesman said.

“We are now on the outskirts of Heglig town,” Al-Sawarmi Khalid Saad told reporters in Khartoum. “The armed forces are advancing toward Heglig town … the situation in Heglig will be resolved within hours.”

He added that South Sudan had tried but failed to control “all of South Kordofan state”.

Al Jazeera’s Nazanine Moshiri, reporting from Juba, the capital of South Sudan, said that the army from Khartoum is advancing on Heglig town. “The South Sudanese military spokesperson told us that the Sudanese are around 30 km from Heglig, and if they do try and take it the South Sudanese have said they will defend themselves.”

“This could end up becoming a full-blown conflict.”