Heglig, Sudan
A Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) soldier lies dead in a pool of oil next to a leaking oil facility in the town of Heglig, after a clash with the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA).
The SPLA is the army of the Republic of South Sudan. For more than half a century Sudan’s northern regime in Khartoum fought the south in a conflict that cost two million lives. South Sudan gained its independence from the north in 2011, but the exact demarcation of the border was not settled, and some areas remained contested.
In April a battle broke out between Sudan and South Sudan over disputed oil fields, with the area around Heglig—officially in the north but claimed by the south—seeing some of the fiercest fighting. In September 2012, the presidents of Sudan and South Sudan agreed trade, oil and security deals, and planned to set up a demilitarized buffer zone, but border disputes remained unresolved.
