Sudan calls for aid to extinguish Heglig fires

Fires in the disputed Heglig oil field in Sudan Khartoum - Abed Algayoum Ashmeag    South Sudan's army said Sunday that its troops faced fresh aerial bombardments from Sudan as they completed their pullout from the flashpoint Heglig oil field. Juba seized the oil hub on April 10, claiming that Khartoum was using Heglig as a base to attack the South's oil-producing Unity State. Although South Sudan disputes it, Heglig is internationally regarded as part of Sudan.
The South's 10-occupation met widespread criticism, including from UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who called it illegal.
The Sudanese government meanwhile called for aid from "brotherly and friendly" countries to help Sudan extinguish fires in the disputed Heglig oil field's wells after South Sudanese forces withdrew from the city on Thursday.
Sudan's state information minister, Sanaa Hamad al-Awad, revealed three main sites at Heglig's oil facilities were destroyed by Southern forces before their withdrawal.The first pumping station of the main pipeline, the power generation station, and one of the main fuel depots were reportedly the sites sabotaged. Al-Awad said certain "brother-countries"  had promised to send fire-extinguishing aircraft to help Sudan put out the fires.
Khartoum also claimed to have documents proving that General Teiban Dainag, the mayor of the Southern al-Wehda province, ordered SPLA (South Sudan's army) officers to destroy Heglig's oil facilities. Minister al-Awad insisted her country would take legal and diplomatic steps to demand Juba "pay compensation for the losses that took place during the South Sudanese occupation of the city".
Al-Awad also revealed that Sudanese forces had found additional bombs that were set to blow up more sites in Heglig. She claimed that the death toll within the SPLA forces was massive, saying Sudan would contact the International Committee of the Red Cross to receive the bodies.
South Sudan's president Salva Kiir declared on Friday he gave orders to his troops to withdraw immediately from the oil-rich border city, while Sudanese president Omar Bashir claimed is army had liberated Heglig by force, saying the Sudanese pipelines will be closed to the oil exports of Sudan's southern neighbour. Kiir is due to meet his Chinese coutnerparts in Beijing this week.
The conflict between the two countries has worried the international community after tensions increased in recent months. The two states were divided and South Sudan become the world's youngest nation after years of conflict based on ethnic, religious and sectarian grounds that killed millions.
However, Juba and Khartoum are yet to decide on issues that even today threaten to plunge the two states into all-out war, such as the demarcation of borders and how to distribute the countries' oil facilities. Matters are further complicated by the fact that most of the countries' oil fields are located in the South while Sudan hosts oil production facilities.
Obama said late on Friday that “the presidents of Sudan and South Sudan must have the courage to return to the table and negotiate and resolve these issues peacefully.”
“We know what needs to happen — the government of Sudan must stop its military actions, including aerial bombardments,” he said in a videotaped message to the people of the two countries.
“Likewise, the government of South Sudan must end its support for armed groups inside Sudan and it must cease its military actions across the border,” the president added in the address, released by the State Department.
South Sudan has denied supporting opposition groups in the north.
Ban urged both governments “to resume negotiations immediately” under a mediation effort led by African Union envoy Thabo Mbeki, the former South African president.
Sudan pulled out of those talks after the Heglig invasion.
The African Union (AU), which has for years sought to broker a sustainable peace between the bitter rivals, on Sunday again called for "a complete cessation of all hostilities," and a swift resumption of talks.
Both sides should consider their "responsibility towards their region, the rest of Africa and the larger international community," the AU statement said.
Since the invasion, oil production at Heglig has been shut and facilities there were leaking. Each side accused the other of damaging the oil infrastructure, which accounted for about half of the north's production.