WHILE THE UNITED NATIONS is trying desperately to avert further bloodshed in Syria, there is a whiff of civil war between Sudan and the newly independent South Sudan.
Last week, there was escalating confrontation over the oil-rich borderland region of Heglig. Sudan’s parliament approved the mobilization of the armed forces and suspended negotiations with South Sudan after its forces moved into that region.
It seems likely there will be further battles, and what started out as a border skirmish now seems perilously close to becoming an all-out war. Heglig is vital because it accounts for about half of Sudan’s 115 000 barrel-a-day oil output, and the fighting has stopped production there.
The African Union’s (AU) Peace and Security Council has called the occupation of Heglig “illegal and unacceptable”, but it has also condemned Sudan for carrying out aerial bombardments of South Sudan.
Last Thursday, the UN Security Council called for an “immediate” ceasefire and expressed “deep and growing alarm at the escalating conflict”. The council has called for restraint and warned that the clashes could worsen the humanitarian situation.
The AU has demanded that South Sudan withdraw its troops from the Heglig oilfield in Sudanese territory and called on both sides to exercise the utmost restraint. These neighbours cannot afford a new war as both have fairly weak governments with limited resources.
A major crisis of confidence has now emerged. Perhaps in reaction to growing scepticism, South Sudan said it would withdraw its troops if UN peacekeepers were deployed to Heglig. This seems unlikely, and South Sudan simply hasn’t been able to convince the world it’s in the right.
This recent flare-up came in the wake of South Sudan’s reluctance to vacate an oilfield, as required by the UN resolution. However, the belligerence being demonstrated in South Sudan has raised concerns that the region could soon have another civil war on its hands.
While the split with South Sudan clearly made matters worse for the nation, hostilities do nothing to improve matters, and could push it over the edge. The conflict revolves around the control of the region’s most valuable resource – oil.
The newly independent South Sudan has the majority of the former Sudan’s oilfields, while Sudan has the infrastructure – pipelines and a seaport – to get the crude out of the country. It believes it got the short end of the stick in terms of territory and oil.
With weeks to go before the first anniversary of independence by South Sudan, this propensity for resolving disputes from the barrel of gun is unfortunate. It’s clearly time for serious diplomacy on both flanks of Sudanese leadership.
