Wounded Sudanese soldiers recover in a Khartoum hospital on Tuesday, after a spike in violence along the southern border last week.<br/> <br />They were hurt in fighting with South Sudan over the disputed Heglig oil field.<br/> <br />South Sudan took control of the contested oil-producing Heglig region last week, prompting Sudan's parliament to brand its former civil war foe an "enemy", and to call for a swift recapture of the territory.<br/> <br />But South Sudan insists Heglig is rightfully theirs, and it says it won't withdraw its troops unless the United Nations deploys a neutral force to monitor a ceasefire.<br/> <br />The UN Security Council has demanded South Sudan withdraw immediately from the vital oil field and for Sudan to stop air strikes.<br/> <br />The leader of Sudan's opposition UMMA party called for dialogue.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) NATIONAL UMMA PARTY LEADER, AL-SADIQ AL-MAHDI, SAYING:<br/> <br />"We want to get to the cause of this dispute which lead to these problems between us and our sister state in the South. I hope we will succeed in defusing the crisis and open the way to a comprehensive and just peace agreement. This can not be achieved unless these forces pull out immediately."<br/> <br />The Heglig field is vital to South Sudan's economy - once producing half of the fledgling nation's oil.<br/> <br />Reports of new clashes this week have stoked fears of a return to all out war, as Sudan and South Sudan struggle to reach a deal soon on disputed issues, such as demarcation of their border, division of debt and the status of citizens in each other's territory.<br/> <br />Travis Brecher, Reuters
