March: South Sudanese repulsed from Heglig On 26 March, the Republic of Sudan claimed that South Sudan attacked the Heglig oilfield, located in the Sudanese state of South Kordofan, while South Sudan claimed that their forces had carried out an operation within the borders of South Sudan. The South Sudanese attack was supported by the Sudanese rebel group
JEM, which attacked from South Sudanese state of
Unity. The
Sudanese Army later attacked the disputed areas of
Jau,
Pan Akuach, and
Teshwin, but were repelled by the South Sudanese
Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). South Sudanese artillery positions 20 kilometres north of
Bentiu, which had been involved in the shelling of Heglig, were bombarded by artillery from the northern side of the border. Sudan's Information Minister, Abdallah Ali Masar, confirmed that South Sudanese had penetrated 10 km into Sudanese territory, but also claimed that Sudanese forces had repelled them and driven them back, and had taken several prisoners. South Sudan's forces withdrew from the disputed area on 28 March. On 31 March, Sudanese warplanes bombed the Southern forces positions on the border, although officials from the north said it was artillery, not aircraft involved in the attack.
Early April: South Sudanese capture of Heglig South Sudan claimed to have shot down a Sudanese
MiG-29 warplane on 4 April over Unity during an air raid in which Sudanese planes bombed an oil pipeline in South Sudan. The Sudanese government denied any aerial bombings had taken place and called the accusations "fabrications" by South Sudan. The SPLA claimed that Teshwin in South Sudan had been attacked by Sudanese forces on 9 April with battle going on into the next day The town of Abiemnhom in Unity was reportedly attacked by two brigades from the Sudanese army, which South Sudan claimed was an attempt to seize its oil fields. At least four civilians were injured in the clashes, although there were no immediate reports of military casualties on either side. The South's government said that northern forces had breached the border accompanied by militias, but had been repelled. A Sudanese military spokesman later admitted that the Sudanese army had been defeated during a battle at Heglig and was forced to retreat northwards. There were some reports that the fighting had broken out after Sudanese forces attempted to retake a border post lost to Southern forces two weeks previous. On 10 April Colonel Khalid Sawarmi, spokesman for the Sudanese army, claimed that South Sudanese forces had taken control of the Heglig oil fields and the town of Heglig itself, marking the start of the
Second Battle of Heglig. In this second capture of Heglig the SPLA was again supported by the
JEM. Second
Vice President of Sudan,
al-Haj Adam Youssef, stated that Sudan was now in a state declared that all negotiations between the two states were on hold. The next day, on 12 April, the Sudanese Air Force bombed
Bentiu, in an attempt to destroy a strategic bridge using an
Antonov An-26 transport plane converted into an improvised bomber, killing one South Sudanese soldier. The parliaments of both countries called for a mobilisation of their respective armed forces. Sudan also began a general mobilisation of its armed forces as South Sudanese forces penetrated as far as 70 kilometres into Sudanese territory, according to Rahmatullah Mohamed Osman, Under Secretary for the Foreign Ministry of Sudan. Following the capture of Heglig, the Government of Sudan announced that their forces withdrawn to Khersana where they were reportedly preparing to retake Heglig. On the same day the
Sudanese Revolutionary Front rebel group attacked Khersana and Kalik It was at some point in April that
Salva Kiir, President of South Sudan and his advisors organized an all-volunteer militia –
Mathiang Anyoor– to aid the SPLA in fighting the Sudanese during this conflict. The militia later transformed into a
private army and became infamous for committing numerous atrocities during the subsequent
South Sudanese Civil War.
Mid-April: Sudanese counter offensive South Sudanese forces began reinforcing their positions in Heglig on 13 April, whilst Sudan continued to mobilise its own forces. According to the South Sudanese government, the frontlines had remained static during the day. Sudanese forces claimed to be advancing on Heglig and that the situation would be dealt with "within hours." A spokesman of the Sudanese government said that its army was on the outskirts of Heglig, while South Sudan's government said that it would defend themselves if attacked. The Sudanese government spokesman also added that South Sudan failed to control "all of South Kordofan state." South Sudan's vice president
Reik Machar said a Sudanese attempt to retake Heglig by force was halted 30 km north of the town. South Sudan claimed to have destroyed two tanks during the clashes. The Sudanese air force, operating two
Sukhoi Su-25 jets, reportedly bombed Jau and Panakuach, as well as Heglig once again, killing five civilians. On 14 April, South Sudanese forces continued to advance northwards, and repelled a Sudanese counterattack on Khersana. Southern troops moved to close all three roads to Heglig on 14 April. It was also reported that most facilities in Heglig had been damaged during the fighting. Two
MiG-29s from the Sudanese Air Force attempted to destroy a bridge in Bentiu but missed their target and ended up killing four civilians and a soldier and wounding five others. The attack was widely believed to be an attempt to damage South Sudanese supply lines. Sudanese army units were reported to have reached a few kilometres from Heglig and that they were fighting with South Sudanese forces. Sudan's military spokesman Al-Sawarmi Khalid revealed that their immediate objective was to "destroy the South's war machine", rather than enter Heglig itself. South Sudan disputed the north's version of events as propaganda, claiming that northern forces were still 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Heglig. Sudan shelled the western part of South Sudan's
Upper Nile state during 15 April, in an apparent attempt to open up a new front. Sudanese troops crossed the border into South Sudan's
Upper Nile state and briefly occupied the small town of Kuek, before being expelled by South Sudan's army. On 16 April, Sudan's parliament met and voted unanimously to declare that "South Sudan is an enemy of all Sudanese state agencies". The parliamentary speaker called for Sudan to mobilise all its resources to fight South Sudan and topple their government. Rabie Abdelaty, a spokesman for the Sudanese government, ruled out peace talks with the South, saying it would hurt national pride if Sudan did not take back Heglig by force. On 18 April, a new front opened up in the conflict, west of Heglig, resulting in seven South Sudanese soldiers and 15 Sudanese soldiers being killed. The clash was reportedly sparked when a South Sudanese soldier was shot dead when collecting water near the road between Aweil and Meiram.
Late April: Sudan regains control over Heglig On April 20 Salva Kiir ordered his forces to withdraw from Heglig. On the day the Sudanese army entered Heglig with al-Bashir holding a victory rally in Khartoum. On the 22 April, more fighting broke out along the whole border as Sudanese soldiers backed by tanks and artillery launched three waves of attacks into South Sudan. At least one South Sudanese soldier was killed and two wounded in the attack. Sudan bombed the town of Rubkona on 23 April, damaging several market stalls, in an attempt to destroy a bridge between Rubkona and neighbouring Bentiu. At least three people were killed in the raid. The following day, Kiir stated on a visit to China that Sudan had "declared war" on South Sudan.
Negotiations Sudan and South Sudan restarted negotiations in June 2012 under mediation by the
African Union's envoy
Thabo Mbeki. On 27 September,
Omar al-Bashir and
Salva Kiir signed eight agreements in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which led the way to resume important oil exports and create a demilitarised zone along their border. The agreements allows for the return of 350,000 barrels of South Sudanese oil to the world market. In addition, the agreements include an understanding on the parameters to follow in regards to demarcating their border, an economic-cooperation agreement and a deal to protect each other's citizens. Certain issues remained unsolved and future talks were scheduled to resolve them. Vice President
Riek Machar outlined what agreements were signed, but lamented the lack of a resolution on Abyei. United Nations Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon commended the two leaders on reaching an agreement. Ethiopian Prime Minister
Hailemariam Desalegn also praised the outcome and hoped it would build momentum. In mid-March 2013, both countries began to withdraw their forces from the border area in a bid to creating a demilitarised buffer zone and resume South Sudanese oil production for export through Sudan. In early April South Sudanese oil started to flow through pipelines in Sudan again. On 10 June Kiir accused al-Bashir of mobilising for war after al-Bashir threatened to cut oil transit through his country with Kiir stating that he would not go to war over the oil transit issue. In October 2013, al-Bashir visited Juba to discuss the measures with Kiir. He was warmly welcomed and said that progress had been made. Kiir said that he was looking to
mend relations with Sudan. == Weapons ==