Sudan Air Force on Tuesday, 6 August reportedly bombed South Sudan’s Maban County killing 2 people and wounding scores of people, according to Maban County Commissioner, Peter Alberto.
The bombing happened in the Khor-Tumbak area of Maban County, in Upper Nile State.
The attack damaged houses and killed livestock, according to County Commissioner Alberto.
Spokesperson of South Sudan People’s Defence Forces, Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang described the attack as unjustified and said the military leadership was informed about the incident.
Koang said South Sudan remains committed to the non-aggression agreement signed in 2012 with Sudan following the tension over oil revenue sharing.
The non-aggression agreement came months after the brief war the two countries fought over oil-rich regions between South Sudan’s Unity and Sudan’s South Kordofan states.
South Sudan broke away from Sudan with three-quarters of the essential oil and minerals for Sudan’s survival.
South Sudan invaded and briefly occupied the small border town of Heglig before being pushed back by the Sudanese army bringing an end to the war.
“The agreement is still in effect and on our part, we have not crossed our borders with Sudan,” Koang said.
Sudan’s government, however, issued no official statement taking responsibility or denying the alleged bombing of neighboring South Sudan’s territory.
Conflict erupted in Sudan in 2023 between the Sudan Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces displacing millions of Sudanese civilians to neighboring countries including South Sudan.
South Sudan’s President, Salva Kiir Mayardit, who is also the chairperson of the regional bloc, the East African Community, has been playing a central role in mediating Sudan’s conflict.
Sudan leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan last year said South Sudan was an ideal location for peace talks to end the conflict in his country, Sudan.
Sudan’s leaders were hopeful that South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir could mediate to end the conflict.
The Juba peace agreement initialed between the Sudanese warring leaders collapsed triggering rounds of fierce battles in many parts of Sudan, including Port Sudan, the temporary capital of Sudan.
On the other hand, the armed militias fighting President Burhan’s government anticipate establishing strongholds at the border with neighboring South Sudan, a move that could trigger tension between the two countries.
Sudan still controls South Sudan’s airspace. Early this year, President Kiir directed his transport minister to expedite the construction of necessary infrastructure to claim control of the country’s airspace from Sudan.
