South Sudan fails to withdraw troops
2013-02-04 21:02
Juba - South Sudan is not withdrawing troops from the
border with Sudan to set up a buffer zone as it pledged it was last month,
South Sudan's army said on Monday, in a setback to efforts to resume the oil
exports vital to both economies.
The two countries came close to war last April in the
worst border clashes since South Sudan seceded in 2011 under a peace deal that
ended one of Africa's longest civil wars.
The African Union (AU) managed to broker a deal in
September to defuse hostilities.
But the nations have failed set up a buffer border zone
and resume oil exports from the landlocked South Sudan through Sudanese
pipelines as agreed in Addis Ababa.
In a sign of goodwill, South Sudan said three weeks ago
it had started to unilaterally withdraw its troops from the border and would
set up its side of the 10km buffer zone by 4 February.
Such a buffer zone is a pre-condition for Sudan to allow
oil exports to restart.
Juba shut down its output of 350 000 barrels day a year
ago in a row with Khartoum over pipeline fees.
But South Sudan's military spokesperson Philip Aguer told
Reuters on Monday the army had not even started to pull out from the border,
despite the government statement.
"There are no orders to withdraw and I don't think
there will be any unless there is an agreement from both governments,"
Aguer said.
"We will never withdraw unless there is an agreement
for a timely withdrawal for both armies."
Neither South Sudanese nor Sudanese government officials
were immediately available for comment.
The AU twice brought together Sudan's President Omar
Hassan al-Bashir and his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir in Ethiopia last
month to end the stalemate but there has been no sign of progress.
Over the weekend Juba accused Khartoum of killing a South
Sudanese soldier in two air attacks on their border.
Sudan denied the allegation, though Reuters reporters
have witnessed Sudanese air attacks on southern territory in the past.
