Sudan says intends to declare state of emergency on borderline with South Sudan

The Sudanese government on Monday announced that it is intending to declare a state of emergency on the borderline with South Sudan, which has recently witnessed armed clashes between the two countries' armies, local media reported.

Sudan's Ashrouq net quoted First Vice-President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha as saying that his country "intends to declare the state of emergency on the border areas with South Sudan to prevent smuggling of food commodities."

Taha further called for granting powers to the smuggling control authorities to kill whoever attempts to provide the "enemy " with food, according to the report.

Taha added that "the war with enemies requires resources and the Sudanese people should be informed with the facts," directing the concerned authorities to revise the country's budget to cope up with the current situation.

He also urged government institutions to double production, saying "the war with the enemy and realization of victories need additional effort on the part of the employees to increase the production to cover the war costs."

Sudan and South Sudan are disputing over five border points, which increased the tension on the borderline between the two countries. On April 10, South Sudan's army controlled the Higlieg area, but the Sudanese army last Friday announced the restoration of the area.