The National

Jared Ferrie

Sep 26, 2012

JUBA // The third day of peace talks between the presidents of the two Sudans’ continued yesterday amid claims that the north had airdropped weapons to a militia seeking to undermine the South’s government.

Philip Aguer, spokesman for the Southern army (SPLA), said the packages contained weapons and ammunition supplied by Sudan to an anti-government militia led by David Yau Yau. Mr Aguer said his troops had fought the militia that day, killing one member, after two days of attacks on SPLA posts in two other villages in the region.

“They were using rocket launchers and machineguns,” he said.

Relations between the countries have been strained since the South declared independence in July last year, acquiring three-quarters of the formerly united country’s oil reserves. Talks have since failed to resolve disputes including the location of the border, and how much the landlocked South should pay to use pipelines and processing facilities in Sudan.

The airdrop last Saturday took place on the deadline imposed by the UN to conclude the sensitive negotiations. It was the first such delivery to be confirmed by independent observers – UN peacekeepers who were stationed in a remote village in Jonglei state…

FULL STORY:

Weapons drop hangs over Sudan talks