Sudan asks Turkey for help amid clashes

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey says Sudan has asked Ankara for immediate help in border clashes with South Sudan that are threatening to spiral into full-scale war, Today’s Zaman reported.

South Sudan broke away from Sudan in July after decades of civil war, but the two never agreed on how to share the oil wealth found in the region, and the border was never fully demarcated. Fighting along the ill-defined border between the former civil-war foes has led to a standoff over the Heglig oil field after it was seized a week ago by troops from South Sudan, which declared independence last year.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Ahmed Karti called his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoğlu to ask for his help in stopping border clashes.

Davutoğlu said he discussed the border clashes between Sudan and South Sudan during his bilateral talks on the sidelines of a NATO foreign and defense ministers meeting in Brussels. He added that he discussed the matter in some detail with his British Foreign Secretray, William Hague.

According to Davutoğlu, Turkey and the United Kingdom agreed to work together on the issue.

Turkey recognized South Sudan last July when it declared its independence from Sudan and opened an embassy in its capital Juba. Diplomatic sources told Today's Zaman that Sudan told Turkey that there is no problem in recognizing the southern government and its opening of the embassy. Sudan has said Turkey could mediate in the case of any disagreements between Khartoum and Juba.