Soldiers stationed at the strategic Rubkona Bridge, in Unity State, on Thursday shot two runs of anti-aircraft guns at a passing commercial Antonov.
Local sources told CRN that the aircraft was not hit.Bentiu residents were alarmed by the Antonov sound and the shooting.
The plane belongs to Greater Pioneer Oil Company and flies frequently between Juba and Unity oil field airstrip, some 40 kilometres north of Bentiu.
Sudanese Air Force used Antonov aircrafts to bomb South Sudan in last April’s border war, and targeted many times the strategic Rubkona Bridge in a bid to cut off the army’s supply roots to the frontline.
NGOs were asked to avoid chartering Antonov 24 or 26 aircraft or report to the military when they used them in order to keep flights safe.