SPLA accuses Sudan of bombing positions

A soldier from the Sudan People's Liberation Army [SPLA] has been killed in the Upper Nile region, following an alleged ground and air assault by Sudanese armed forces on Saturday, a SPLA spokesman announced on Sunday. The Sudanese army carried out surprise attacks on SPLA positions in the northern Upper Nile, the spokesman claimed. The attackers later retreated. Following the retreat, Sudanese helicopter gunships reportedly bombed SPLA positions, 21 kilometres inside South Sudan. The attacks left one soldier dead and three others wounded, the spokesman announced, adding that thousands of civilians, including women and children, have been forced to leave their homes in the area. "The Sudanese army regrouped but they were again pushed away," the statement said, broadcast on state-owned South Sudan Television [SSTV]. A military officer meanwhile claimed the SPLA was “capable of defending the territorial integrity of the country but it would wait for a political decision before deciding on what further measures to take."