Bombing persists in Southern Kordofan

15 Jun 2011

Bombing persists in Southern Kordofan

14 June 2011 - As fighting and violence continued to rage in Southern Kordofan, two jet fighters dropped 11 bombs in Kauda today, targeting an airfield near the UNMIS base in the area.
The bombing campaign, using Antonov bombers and fighter jets, has been waged on the capital Kadugli and other areas in the embattled state since fighting started between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA).
Although there were no casualties reported from today's incident in Kauda, continuing air strikes are causing "huge suffering to the civilian population and endangering humanitarian assistance in the region", said UNMIS Spokesperson Kouider Zerrouk.
"We reiterate our call on the SAF, SPLA and other armed groups involved in this conflict to immediately allow access to humanitarian agencies, stop indiscriminate military attacks against civilians and protect them in accordance with international law," he said.
Humanitarian assistance has been affected by the suspension of UN flights to and from Kadugli since 10 June, affecting the ability to bring in humanitarian items.
"The closure of the airport by SAF will dangerously hamper UN humanitarian operations in SKS, as thousands of IDPs are in urgent need of emergency assistance," said Mr. Zerrouk. "The SAF and the governor of Southern Kordofan must act immediately to ensure unconditional use of the airport by UN flights."
While humanitarian agencies have been able to reach some affected populations with assistance, their operations have been complicated by deteriorating security, access to their warehouses and looting of supplies in some agencies' warehouses in Kadugli, in addition to lack of flights.
Fighting in the border state has so far left more than 53,000 people displaced and a yet unknown number of casualties. More than 1,000 people have fled the state, with many headed to El Obeid, a report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said this week.