South Sudan Withdraws Troops Along Disputed Border

Juba --- South Sudan has started withdrawing its troops from the border with Sudan to allow set up of the agreed buffer zone along the disputed border, ahead of resuming of oil production following its shutdown last year January.

 The pullout is inline with the september’s deal between the two neigbouring nations struck in a summit at the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa on securing the border and other disputed regions.

"By withdrawing its forces ... the government of South Sudan is clearly demonstrating its full compliance with the signed security agreements and full commitment to their implementation," the government in Juba said in a statement on Thursday.

Fighting along the disputed border had threatened an all-out war between the two states in April, prompting a resolution by the UN Security Council demanding both sides to end hostilities or face non-military sanctions.

Juba says the withdrawal will be complete by February 4 and it expects their northern counterparts to follow suite under the September deal.

Under the accord mediated by the African Union, both sides agreed on a demilitarised border buffer zone where each side must draw its troops 10km from the de facto line of control along the contested frontier.

Security officials from the two Sudans are in talks in Addis Ababa to discuss implementing the buffer zone.

Mutual distrust remains deep and might hamper the exercise, following claims by both sides over each side supporting rebels across the border, claims they all deny.

An oil transit row in last January saw the south shut down its oil fields, accusing the north of stealing its crude and over excessive transit charges. Lack of the crude which both sides heavily depend on, saw soaring inflations and shortages of foreign currency in the two countries.

South Sudan took most of the oilfields following its secession in July 2011, but requires Sudan’s pipeline to transport its crude to ports in the north for export. 

South Sudan's oil minister has suggested that productions could resume in April if the buffer zone is in place by February.

Algiers, Algeria

Foreign Hostages Killed in Algeria, as Hundred others Flee

At least 30 hostages including foreigners have been killed after Algerian forces stormed the BP gas facility in southeast Algeria, in attempt to free the more than 150 Algerian and foreign hostages held by Islamist militiamen.

Hostage-takers who claim to be al-Qaeda members from northern Mali raided the desert gas complex in Amenas on Wednesday, capturing at least 150 workers including 41 foreigners in demand that France halt its military intervention in neighbouring Mali.

France launched a military intervention in Mali last Friday following appeal by the Malian interim government to root out Islamist rebels in its northeastern region fighting now for control of the entire country, after seizing the region.

Algerian government identified hostage-takers to be “around 20 men from the region” and not Malian or Libyan as the militant claimed, and were led by Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a veteran Algerian Islamist militant who was recently pushed out of the al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI) group

Interior minister Dahou Ould Kablia in his address on national TV maintained that his country would not negotiate with terrorists, adding that they were surrounded by the army and security services.

American, Norwegian, Irish, Australian, Philippine and Malaysian nationals were also among the hostages, according to different reports.

Two people, an Algerian and a Briton were reported to have been killed in the Wednesday assault and a further 30 people died on Thursday, with other hostages escaping when Algerian forces stormed the facility in a rescue operation. At least 11 of their captors were also killed in the assault, according to an Algerian security source.

An Irish eyewitness who survived the attack told Reuters news agency that he saw Algerian troops blow up four jeeps full of hostages after the gunmen demanded to take their hostages abroad safe in exchange with the halt of France’s Mali intervention.

Two Britons, two Japanese and a French national were among the at least seven foreigners killed in the siege, with 8 other Algerians also dead. The nationalities of the others who escaped remained unclear by early Friday while that of at least 22 foreign hostages remain unaccounted for, among them being 14 Japanese and 8 Norwegian workers.

The militants have been reported in mauritanian news agencies to say that the attack was in retaliation for Algeria’s decision to allow France to use its airspace for airstrikes targeting Islamist rebels in Mali.

By Thursday morning Paris had not yet given any official account of presence of its nationals among the hostages in Algeria. French President François Hollande said on Wednesday that he is in contact with the algerian authorities, together with the countries concerned.

“I am in constant contact with the Algerian authorities who are doing, and will do, their duty. We are also in contact with the heads of state of the countries concerned,” he said.

Japan has said it was making the safety of at least three of its compatriots its top priority and would also work closely with other involved nations.

The US State Department which confirmed that a number of those held at the plant were US citizens, said it was “closely monitoring” the hostage crisis.