SAF bombs kill five, displacing hundreds in Southern Sudan (13.06.2011 00:00)
According to Gideon Gatpan Thoar, Minister of Information in Unity State, the attacks took place near the border with Southern Kordofan, which belongs to the north.
Speaking from Bentiu, the capital of Unity State, Thoar said five people had been killed in and a further 851 were displaced from the Jaw district of Parieng County.
In Bentiu, correspondent Bonifacio Taban reported that eleven people were wounded in the attack and hundreds of civilians were seen leaving for the district of Panyang to flee the bombardment.
SPLA spokesman Col Philip AguerSudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) Spokesman Col. Philip Aguer told the BBC Friday that the bombing of Unity State was a move to seize the region's oil.
"SAF aircraft bombed the area of Jaw, in Unity State, many times on Thursday," he said, adding the attack is a "move by Khartoum to control the area and create a de facto border to control our oil fields."
Residents of Parieng gathered for a demonstration to protest what Thoar called a "sinister act."
The Unity State government described the bombardment as "a serious violation" of the 2005 peace accord that ended 22 years of civil war.
The attacks come in the wake of similar shootings in Southern Kordofan by the SAF last week. Fighting in Southern Kordofan erupted in the capital, Kadugli, and surrounding areas.
Each side has blamed the other for starting the hostilities.
Southern Kordofan, an oil-producing state in northern Sudan, has long been seen as a flashpoint because it is home to thousands who fought alongside the south against Khartoum during the last civil war.
The events are an "armed rebellion."
The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) termed the events in the state an "armed rebellion" that will be dealt with militarily.
Despite the recent military escalation, Southern Sudanese president Salva Kiir has said his future country has no intention of going to war with the north.
Officials are wary of getting embroiled in fresh fighting that could derail the region’s independence, which takes effect on 9 July.
