The Sudanese army denied on Monday that it had carried out any bombardment near a major city in South Sudan, noting that reports on air strikes by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) earlier Monday were "baseless."

This came in response to reports that the SAF air forces launched air strikes on areas near Bentiu, capital of Unity State in South Sudan, only three days after Juba announced that its was withdrawing troops from a strategic oil field on the north side of the border between the two countries.

"These accusations are baseless," spokesman of the SAF Al- Sawarmy Khalid Saad told Xinhua. "We do not accept any accusations on aerial bombardments on ground attacks in Unity State."

"Since we have liberated Heglig area, we have not advanced a single step into South Sudanese territories. We have never bombarded any areas in South Sudan and we have nothing to do with what is going on in Unity State," he added.

The Sudan Tribune website reported earlier that SAF warplanes carried out an intensive bombardment on Bentiu and neighboring Rubkotna. The attacks by Mig 29 fighters started at 8:50 a.m. ( 0550 GMT), the report said.

Other reports coming from South Sudan said that some three people, including a child, were killed in the bombing.

News of the bombing comes at the heels of the worst fighting between the two countries over the oil rich Heglig town which lies inside Sudan's South Kordofan state.

South Sudan took over the town from SAF almost two weeks ago before losing it to Khartoum last Friday.

Juba says it withdrew voluntarily upon orders from South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, while Khartoum insists that it managed to flush out Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), South Sudan's army.

On Sunday, SPLA deputy military intelligent director Maj. Paul Mac Bol said that another fresh attack by SAF took place inside South Sudan territory.

"The Sudanese Armed Forces launched ground and aerial bombardments on SPLA positions in Unity State, Teshwin, Unity oil field, Lalop and Panakuach on Sunday afternoon," the SPLA deputy militarily intelligent told Sudan Tribune.

"Of course we withdrew [from Heglig] after the decision that was taken by the council of ministers and the government of South Sudan. We are here accountable to the government, so we executed the order immediately. We came to Teshwin where we are supposed to have our defenses. Today at around 10:00 a.m., they sent about ten Toyota mounted guns as a reconnaissance. They had an engagement with our troops," said Bol.

The SPLA official added that Khartoum is not complying with recent international calls for both sides to refrain from hostility. He claimed that despite SAF attacks on Sunday by ground and air, South Sudan managed to repulse them back and seize Toyota land cruiser from SAF.

He stressed that South Sudan government is not planning for war but willing to negotiate with Sudanese government.

After recovering Heglig, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir announced that his country would not hold any talks with South Sudan on the oil issue, and will not allow South Sudan to transport oil through Sudanese territory.

Addressing a mass rally on Friday evening in central Khartoum to celebrate the "liberation" of Heglig oil field by the Sudanese army, al-Bashir said "we will no longer allow South Sudan's oil to pass through, even if they split oil revenues with us," according to the reports.

The Sudanese president noted that Juba would only "use the oil revenues to destroy Sudan and to finance the criminals in Sudan," adding that the door for talks with South Sudan on the oil issue had been closed.

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