South Sudan 'to withdraw troops'

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has ordered the withdrawal of his troops from the Heglig oil field across the border in Sudan. South Sudanese forces captured the oil field last week, accusing Khartoum of using it as a base to launch attacks. UN chief Ban Ki-moon has said the occupation is illegal and also called on Sudan to stop bombing the South. The escalating fighting and rhetoric between the two sides over the last week has led to fears of all-out war. South Sudan seceded last July following a 2005 peace deal which ended a brutal two-decade civil war in which more than 1.5 million people died. On Thursday, South Sudan issued a statement saying it was not interested in war with its northern neighbour and that it would only withdraw from Heglig if the UN deployed monitors there. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir had earlier threatened to bring down the government in Juba following the loss of Heglig, which provided more than half of Sudan's oil. South Sudan's withdrawal has been ordered to create the environment for talks with Khartoum, Reuters news agency reports. According to the Associated Press agency, Mr Kiir said the South still believes that Heglig is a part of South Sudan and that its final status should be determined by international arbitration. Heglig is internationally accepted to be part of Sudanese territory - although the precise border is yet to be demarcated. From: BBC