SAF Air Raid Kills Five Civilians in Unity State – Official

Bonifacio Taban Kuic

9 June 2011

Bentiu — The northern Sudanese Army Forces (SAF) have bombarded Parieng County of South Sudan’s Unity state that borders South Kordofan state in the North in the early hours of Thursday, an official here said today.

The airstrike comes in the wake of SAF military operations in South Kordofan against units from Sudan People Liberation Army (SPLA) since last weekend.

Mabeak Lang Bilkuey commissioner of Parieng County told Sudan Tribune on Thursday evening that the heavy bombardments was targeting the division 9 of SPLA at Jaw payam [district] leaving 5 civilians dead and 15 seriously wounded.

Jaw payam which is about 45 kilometers from Parieng town experienced three hours of bombardments by the SAF on Thursday, he said.

Bilkuey added that over 2,000 civilians have fled the area toward Parieng County.

The commissioner claimed that the SPLA had taken control of over 13 towns within the South Kordofan state, saying this is why they decided to launch air attacks in Unity state against civilians “who have no connection with any of these conflicts between both armies”.

Bilkuey called upon citizens to demonstrate on Friday so that the world observes “the barbaric air attack by the Sudanese Army Forces on the innocent civilians”.

The Unity state government has condemned the air raid as an “unlawful act” committed by the Khartoum government.

Fighting between SAF and SPLA erupted in South Kordofan’s state capital of Kadugli and surrounding areas which both sides traded blame for starting it. The clashes came after northern officials said that all SPLA soldiers must move south of the border despite the SPLA soldiers in South Kordofan and Blue Nile state not being southern Sudanese.

Southern Kordofan, an oil-producing state which lies in northern territory, has long been seen as a flashpoint because it is home to thousands of fighters who fought alongside the south against Khartoum during the last civil war.

The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) declared yesterday that the events in the state are an “armed rebellion” and will be dealt with militarily.

South Sudan is wary of being embroiled in a war that could derail the region’s official independence day of July 9 and as such insisted that it has no intention of going to war with the North despite the recent military escalation.

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