At least five members of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) were reportedly killed and eight were injured in battles against the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) yesterday in the Upper Nile state. The clashes occurred amid fears of renewed tensions on the Sudan-South Sudan border.

According to the Renk County Commissioner, Juda Kuei, the rebels repelled an attack carried out by the SAF on the Qanqibar area, northeast of Renk town. Although he was not aware of casualties on the SPLA side, Kuei noted that the farmer Suleiman Ibrahim and his driver were also killed in the clashes.

Tensions on the border of Sudan-South Sudan began escalating again after President Omar Al Bashir announced the halt of oil flow from the south. The two countries signed a series of Cooperation Agreements last September in Addis Ababa, which included reopening the pipeline.

Commissioner Kuei told Radio Tamazuj that his country has “no intention of entering into war with Sudan, which is tirelessly trying to drag them to a new war.”

“On their side the Sudan Armed Forces had five dead and eight wounded. They managed to remove the wounded soldiers and the dead bodies as our forces left them on the ground. The current increased tension on the border is the result of the statement of the Sudanese president; before that the situation was very calm,” Kuei said.

Radio Tamazuj was not able to contact the SAF for comment on this news.