JUBA
The South Sudanese army on Wednesday accused Sudan of shelling the northern parts of the oil-rich Unity State on Monday.
Army spokesman Col. Philip Aguer asserted that the Sudanese air force had shelled a number of villages in Unity State, condemning the attack as "unjustified."
Aguer said that the South Sudanese army had failed to react to the shelling because the government had not ordered it to do so.
In an interview with Anadolu Agency, he said that the South Sudanese army was currently awaiting orders, noting that the army had been assigned the mission of defending South Sudanese territory.
He denied reports about the presence of Sudanese opposition fighters inside the country, saying that Khartoum was well aware that elements of Sudan's armed opposition could only be found on Sudanese territory.
Aguer said his government did not have any information as to whether the Sudanese army was engaged in any military operations against the opposition Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) in Sudan's Southern Kordofan region, describing this as a purely Sudanese affair.
The SRF is comprisedof major rebel groups from Sudan's restive Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions, including both the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and the Justice and Equality Movement.
AA could not obtain an immediate comment from Sudanese authorities regarding Aguer's assertions.
It is the first time in two years for Juba to accuse Khartoum of attacking its territory.
Last Saturday, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir visited Khartoum where he met with Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir.
By Atem Simon
englishnews@aa.com.tr
