Sudan Accused of Bombing S. Sudanese Oil Fields

Sudanese warplanes are accused of bombing South Sudanese oil fields just days after the South withdrew from the oil town of Heglig, reports say.

A South Sudan military official told the BBC that the Unity oil field was targeted on Sunday, with no word from Khartoum if the strike took place.

On Sunday, a spokesperson with South’s Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army said that it “completed its withdrawal from Heglig yesterday,” AFP reported. He added that Sudan “continued bombing” the area after troops pulled out

In Heglig, the entire population of the town has been forced to flee, leaving them displaced without shelter. Heglig town and oil field sits at the border between the two Sudans on the Sudanese side. Despite being internationally recognized as part of Sudan, this is disputed by the South.

“According to the government of Sudan’s Humanitarian Aid Commission [HAC] and other reports received by the United Nations, the entire civilian population of Heglig town and neighbouring villages fled,” the U.N. humanitarian agency said on Sunday, according to Al Jazeera.

Around 5,000 people have left Heglig to communities around 60 miles north of the town.