Sudanese leaders Bashir and Kiir commit to buffer zone

The leaders of Sudan and South Sudan have reaffirmed their commitment to setting up a buffer zone on their shared border and resuming oil exports.

African Union mediator Thabo Mbeki said both sides had agreed “unconditionally” to implement a deal first struck in September.

Presidents Omar al-Bashir of Sudan and Salva Kiir of South Sudan smiled and shook hands, but made no comment.

The neighbours came close to war after the South’s independence in 2011.

The talks in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, followed reports of renewed clashes on the disputed border.

African Union mediators will now lay out a timetable for the implementation of all outstanding agreements, according to an official document seen by the BBC.

This is expected to be in place by the end of next week, and if the timetable is respected, a demilitarised buffer zone between the two countries will be set up.

That would allow the resumption of oil exports from the south and of cross-border trade.

Pictured: South Sudan’s Salva Kiir (right) was greeted by Ethiopia’s prime minister as he arrived for talks

‘Dozens killed’ as Sudan’s army and rebels clash

Sudan’s army and rebels say they have clashed on two fronts, reportedly leaving dozens of people dead.

The army says it killed 32 insurgents who attacked a village in the western Darfur region. The rebels claim they drove government troops out.

Separately, Khartoum says 45 rebels were killed in a village in South Kordofan, near South Sudan’s border.

The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebels said they liberated the village, killing at least one soldier.

Casualty claims in the fighting, which happened on Thursday, have not been independently verified because of restricted access to both Darfur and South Kordofan.

Last year, rebel groups in the two states and also in Blue Nile state formed an alliance with the aim of toppling the government of President Omar al-Bashir.

Khartoum accuses South Sudan of backing the insurgents.

The government in Juba denies the charge, in turn blaming its northern neighbour of backing rebel groups in the South.

The latest fighting comes as the US has warned of an “outright conflict” between Sudan and South Sudan over a prolonged border dispute.

The comments were made on by the US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, following a meeting of the Security Council to discuss the issue.

South Sudan has accepted a border roadmap proposed by the African Union, but Sudan is refusing to do so.

The original 2 August deadline set by the UN failed to produce an agreement. However, both sides are being kept under pressure to clinch a deal by a new deadline - 22 September.

Pictured: Darfur rebels say they forced Sudan’s army out of a village

South Sudan anniversary: Salva Kiir focuses on economy

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has said the world’s newest country needs to be “independent economically” in his speech to mark the first anniversary of its independence.

Thousands of people danced and waved flags during official celebrations in the capital, Juba.

The BBC’s Nyambura Wambugu, in Juba, says that few South Sudanese have seen much improvement in their lives.

But she says that most feel it has been a good year, despite the problems.

Our correspondent says it has also been a turbulent 12 months, with ethnic conflict in Jonglei State killing hundreds, conflict on the border with Sudan and a huge corruption scandal.

‘Short man from Khartoum’

Mr Kiir told the crowd: “We still depend on others. Our liberty today is incomplete. We must be more than liberated. We have to be independent economically.”

The official celebrations saw a military parade, featuring tanks and rocket launchers, while two helicopter flew South Sudan’s flag over the heads of the cheering crowds.

Pictured: Some have accused South Sudan of spending too much on its military

Sudanese refugees listen to a sermon at a makeshift church at the Yida refugee camp in South Sudan, close to the border with Sudan. The camp has swollen to nearly 60,000 as refugees flee from South Kordofan in Sudan, with 300 to 600 new arrivals a day. The rainy season has increased the numbers of sick children suffering from severe malnutrition as the international aid community struggles to provide basic assistance to the growing population.

Photograph: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images

(Source: Guardian)

Abyei crisis: UN confirms Sudan troop pullout

Sudan has pulled its troops out of the disputed border region of Abyei, according to the UN.

The UN peacekeeping mission in Abyei confirmed the withdrawal took place late on Tuesday evening.

The pullout comes as negotiators from Sudan and South Sudan meet in Ethiopia to begin talks over several disputes.

Abyei is claimed by both Sudan and the South, which became independent in 2011 after a long civil war. Sudan’s forces seized Abyei last May.

But a source has told the BBC that the number of police in the area has been increased to about 200, raising fears that some Sudanese soldiers may have simply changed into police uniforms in order to stay.

Either way, the BBC’s James Copnall in Khartoum says the presence of Sudanese police is likely to worry the tens of thousands of displaced people who are now considering moving back to Abyei.

Its status was left undecided in the 2005 peace deal between the two sides, and a referendum on the issue has been postponed indefinitely.

Sudanese officials had said the pullout was designed to aid the progress of the peace talks.

Pictured: The Abyei region has been a flashpoint area in the months since South Sudan’s independence

South Sudan troupe sees new country’s struggle in Shakespeare

South Sudan Theatre Company performs ‘Cymbeline’ in Juba Arabic for the Globe to Globe festival in London to acclaim. The play resonates for them.

LONDON — Posthumus, the protagonist of Shakespeare’s “Cymbeline,” marched through the Herculean columns of the Globe theater, stopped abruptly at the front of the stage and looked up at an audience of hundreds — most of whom didn’t speak a whisper of the language they were about to hear.

His voice boomed, and he raised his arms and curled his hands into fists. “All these people have come from the newest country in the world,” shouted actor Francis Paulino Lugali in Juba Arabic, “and this country is South Sudan!”

And so with bells around their ankles, makeshift props and rushed rehearsals, the world’s newest country made its mark on the world stage when a humble but talented troupe performed “Cymbeline” on one of theater’s most hallowed grounds.

The show is part of a pre-Olympics festival called Globe to Globe running through early June. After it’s all over, the open-air replica of Shakespeare’s original theater on the banks of the River Thames will have hosted the playwright’s 37 plays by groups from dozens of countries in a kaleidoscope of languages.

They include: “Richard II” in Palestinian Arabic, “Macbeth” in Polish, “The Merchant of Venice” in Hebrew, “Hamlet” in Lithuanian, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in Korean and a hip-hop remix of “Othello” by the Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

For the South Sudan Theatre Company members, who earned standing ovations and four of five stars from the British newspaper the Guardian for their performance, the triumph is especially meaningful as their fledgling nation tries to emerge from violent conflicts that have consumed its recent past and threaten its future.

South Sudan formally separated from its northern neighbor in July, but the two countries are now sliding toward a ruinous war over their contested border and precious oil reserves and pipelines.

Many of those involved in producing “Cymbeline” earlier this month said the northern government has tried to portray the south as incapable of running its own country. They said the performance was a way — albeit a small one — to prove they could stand on their own two feet.

“As a new country, we want to develop a new culture,” said Cirino Hiteng Ofuho, the South Sudanese minister of culture, youth and sports, who traveled to England to mingle with British officials and watch the play.

“This is really an introduction of a new nation, in Shakespeare,” Hiteng Ofuho said.

Pictured: Aviragus (Malai Maluak) prays over Innogen (Margaret Kowarto) in the South Sudan Theatre Company’s well-received production of “Cymbeline.” (Ari Bloomekatz / Los Angeles Times / May 16, 2012)

An elderly woman from South Kordofan is photographed shortly after arriving at a refugee registration centre in the Yida refugee camp in Unity State, South Sudan. In recent weeks, aid agencies have reported a steep influx of new arrivals, at times exceeding 700 per day. More than 30,000 refugees currently reside in Yida having fled the war between the Republic of Sudan and rebel forces in South Kordofan.

Photograph: Pete Muller/AP

(Source: Guardian)

South Sudanese refugees begin journey to Juba

The first group of South Sudanese refugees stranded for months in a camp in Sudan is on its way to the south.

About 400 people - out of a total of up to 15,000 - are being taken by bus to Khartoum from where they will be flown to the South Sudanese capital Juba.

The camp residents were last month declared a security threat by the authorities, who gave them a deadline to leave Sudan. This was later dropped.

They lost rights to Sudan nationality when the south seceded last year.

The airlift comes a day after UN human rights chief Navi Pillay condemned Sudan’s bombing of bombing of South Sudan, carried out despite a UN resolution demanding an end to hostilities.

South Sudan seceded last July as part of a deal to end years of civil war.

But disputes stemming from the secession, especially over oil, led to clashes last month and fears of a return to all-out war.

On Wednesday, South Sudan accused its neighbour of continued bombing raids. Khartoum said it had the right to respond to acts of aggression.

Pictured: Border fighting led Sudanese officials to declare the refugees a security risk

South Sudan conflict: UN sanctions deadline looms

The two-day UN ultimatum given to Sudan and South Sudan to end fighting or face sanctions expires later on Friday.

But South Sudan’s military spokesman said there were fresh bombings by the Khartoum government’s forces.

Sudan has promised to cease hostilities and comply with a UN Security Council resolution.

However, it also said Khartoum reserved the right to respond to “aggression” from South Sudan, which seceded last year following a long civil war.

The UN resolution on Wednesday backed an African Union plan demanding both sides cease hostilities, amid fears of an all-out war between the neighbours.

The Security Council called for a written commitment by both governments within 48 hours, and threatened sanctions, such as asset freezes and travel bans, if its terms were not met.

Pictured: Under the roadmap, the two countries have until next Tuesday to restart negotiations

UN passes resolution threatening sanctions on Sudans

The UN Security Council has threatened to impose sanctions on Sudan and South Sudan if the two nations fail to halt the recent violence.

The unanimously backed resolution calls on Khartoum and Juba to resume negotiations on disputed issues within two weeks.

Fighting in recent weeks has raised fears of a return to all-out war.

South Sudan became independent last year, but disputes with the north over territorial issues remained unresolved.

Earlier, Sudan said it has restarted pumping oil from Heglig, following the recent withdrawal of Southern Sudanese troops.

‘On the brink’

The US-drafted resolution backs an African Union roadmap which aims to settle the conflict and bring the two countries back to the negotiating table.

It calls for both countries to unconditionally withdraw troops to their own territory and “immediately cease all hostilities”. Both nations must give a written commitment to halt fighting within 48 hours.

It also demands a resumption of talks over outstanding issues within two weeks, with an agreement to be reached within three months.

If either side fails to abide by the terms, then “additional measures” under Article 41 of the UN Charter - which allows for non-military sanctions - will be considered, the resolution says.

Pictured: Recent cross-border fighting between Sudan and South Sudan has raised fears of war

South Sudan president says attacks amount to declaration war

Salva Kiir’s appeal to Beijing follows Sudan’s bombing of market and oilfield

The president of newly independent South Sudan has told China’s president that attacks by rival Sudan amount to a declaration of war on his country.

There has yet to be a formal declaration of war by either of the Sudans, and Salva Kiir’s remark, made in Beijing during talks with Hu Jintaoon Tuesday, signals a ratcheting up of rhetoric between the rival nations, which have been teetering on the brink of war.

Kiir told Hu his visit comes at “a very critical moment for the Republic of South Sudan because our neighbour in Khartoum has declared war on the Republic of South Sudan”.

South Sudan became independent last year. The countries have since been unable to resolve disputes over sharing oil revenue and determining a border. Talks broke down this month.

On Monday, Sudanese warplanes bombed a market and an oilfield in South Sudan, killing at least two people after Sudanese ground forces had reportedly crossed into South Sudan with tanks and artillery. South Sudan reported on Tuesday that eight more bombs had dropped overnight.

The Sudanese president, Omar al-Bashir, has vowed to press ahead with his military campaign until all southern troops or affiliated forces are chased out of the north.

China’s energy needs make it deeply interested in the future of the two Sudans, with Beijing uniquely positioned to exert influence in the conflict given its trade ties with the resource-rich south and decades-long diplomatic ties with Sudan’s government in the north.

Pictured: South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir with China’s President Hu Jintao at a welcoming ceremony in Beijing, China. Photograph: Adrian Bradshaw/EPA

South Sudan ‘to withdraw troops’ from Heglig oil field

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has ordered the withdrawal of his troops from the Heglig oil field in Sudan.

But Sudan’s leader Omar al-Bashir later said his forces had retaken Heglig town.

South Sudanese forces captured the area last week, accusing Khartoum of using it as a base to launch attacks.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon had described the occupation as illegal and also called on Sudan to stop bombing the South.

Mr Bashir on Friday told supporters at a victory rally in Khartoum: “We thank God that he made successful your sons; and the security forces and the police force and the defence forces - he has made them victorious on this Friday.”

On state TV, his defence minister said Sudan’s armed forces had entered Heglig 11:20 GMT.

South Sudan has so far made no public comments on Khartoum’s claim.

Pictured: South Sudan had said it wanted UN monitors deployed before its troops left Heglig

Sudan president seeks to ‘liberate’ South Sudan

Sudan President Omar al-Bashir has said his main goal is now to “liberate” the people of South Sudan from its rulers following recent border clashes.

The former rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement has ruled South Sudan since it seceded from Sudan in July 2011.

President Bashir was addressing a rally at his party’s headquarters.

Fighting between the two countries has now spread to another area, further adding to fears of all-out war.

South Sudan seized the Heglig oil field - generally recognised as Sudanese territory - eight days ago. On Tuesday fighting broke out north of Aweil in South Sudan, about 100 miles (160km) west of Heglig.

The South Sudanese military said 22 soldiers had been killed, with casualties on both sides.

Pictured: President Bashir’s government fought a civil war against the SPLM for two decades

UN demands rival Sudans end fighting

Security Council calls for end to border clashes centred on Heglig oil field, as S Sudan sets conditions for peace.

The United Nations Security Council has demanded an end to clashes between Sudan and South Sudan, calling on both countries to redeploy their forces 10 kilometres away from a border that they both recognised last year.

A statement from the 15-nation body on Thursday also insisted that Khartoum stop air strikes and Juba withdraw troops from the Heglig oil field.

“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,” the statement from the Security Council said.

“The Security Council demands a complete, immediate, and unconditional: end to all fighting; withdrawal of [South Sudan’s Army] from Heglig; end to [Sudanese Armed Forces] 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,” it said.