Saturday, July 21, 2012

South Sudan accuses Sudan of bombing village two weeks before a UN-imposed deadline on peace and oil negotiations - @AP

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — South Sudan's military says Sudanese warplanes bombed a South Sudanese village just two weeks before a U.N.-imposed deadline on peace and oil negotiations between the two nations.

Spokesman Col. Philip Aguer said Saturday Sudanese Antonov planes bombed the village of Rumaker in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state near the border with Sudan Friday morning. Aguer said two civilians were slightly injured.

Friday's attack is the first bombing reported by South Sudan since early May.

Sudanese officials were not immediately reachable for comment Saturday.

Sudan and South Sudan are engaged in negotiations in Ethiopia over a host of issues, including the separation of their once-unified oil industry and the demarcation of their joint border. The neighbors face the threat of U.N. sanctions if they fail to reach an agreement by Aug. 2.