Thousands displaced by Heglig standoff

The entire population of the Heglig area fled a military standoff between Sudan and South Sudan, leaving thousands of civilians displaced in the open, the United Nations said on Sunday.

"According to the government of Sudan's Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) and other reports received by the UN, the entire civilian population of Heglig town and neighbouring villages fled," the UN's humanitarian agency said.

The report cited HAC figures saying 5,000 people had escaped from Heglig, mostly to the communities of Kharasana and Keilak, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Heglig, Sudan's main oilfield.

South Sudan occupied the field on April 10, in a move that coincided with waves of air strikes against the South, sparking fears of wider war.

A mission by the Sudanese Red Crescent to Kharasana and Keilak on April 14 and 15 "reported that most of the displaced people are scattered in the bushes or living in the open approximately three to four kilometres away from Kharasana town," said the UN report which covered the period until April 15.

South Sudan's army said on Sunday it had completed its withdrawal from Heglig, but condemned the north for bombing the area as the pullout was still under way.