South Sudan says to quit border zone, seeks end to clashes

JUBA- South Sudan has told the United Nations it will pull all police out of a disputed region bordering Sudan and is committed to halting all fighting with its northern neighbour, but Khartoum declared a state of emergency in some border areas.

The conflicting developments on Sunday raised questions whether United Nations appeals for an end to more than three weeks of border clashes between Sudan and South Sudan would bear fruit and avert full-blown war in an oil-producing region.

South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan nine months ago under a 2005 settlement, informed the United Nations that it planned to withdraw all police from the Abyei region, according to a letter from Juba’s mission to the world body.

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