South's government branded an 'enemy' by Sudan parliament

KHARTOUM // Sudan's parliament voted unanimously yesterday to brand the government of South Sudan an enemy, after southern troops invaded the north's main oilfield.

"The government of South Sudan is an enemy and all Sudanese state agencies have to treat her accordingly," the parliament's resolution said.

After the vote, the parliamentary speaker, Ahmed Ibrahim El Tahir, called for the overthrow of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), which rules the South.

"We announce that we will clash with SPLM until we end her government of South Sudan. We collect all our resources to reach this goal," he said.

World powers have urged restraint after heavy fighting began with waves of aerial bombardment hitting the South, whose troops last Tuesday seized Khartoum's main Heglig oil region from Khartoum's army.

It is the most serious fighting since July 2011 when South Sudan separated after an overwhelming "yes" vote under a peace deal that ended 22 years of civil war.

The vote cam after Sudanese planes bombed a UN peacekeepers' base, damaging it but causing no casualties in the first such attack since a recent escalation of fighting with South Sudan.

The UN peacekeeping mission spokesman, Kouider Zerrouk, confirmed the attack on the small base, but said "there were no casualties, no one was wounded".