South Sudanese President Salva Kiir on Friday ordered the immediate withdrawal of his troops from the contested Heglig oil field, as the two former civil war foes inched back from a wider war. “The Republic of South Sudan announces that the SPLA (Southern army) troops have been ordered to withdraw from Panthou-Heglig,” Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin said, reading out a presidential statement. “An orderly withdrawal will commence immediately and shall be completed within three days,” the statement added, potentially easing conflict that has threatened to plunge the countries back into war. Fighting between Sudan and South Sudan escalated earlier this month, following the South’s April 10 seizure of Heglig, which makes up around half of Sudan’s oil production for its faltering economy. Sudanese troops launched a renewed counter-attack late Thursday with air strikes hitting Southern troops entrenched along the frontline, Southern army spokesman Philip Aguer said. “There was fighting on Thursday evening, SAF (Sudan’s army) was advancing and they were beaten,” he said, adding he had no reports of fighting on Friday.
