Eight people from the same family killed in S. Kordofan bombing: SPLM-N
December 20, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – Eight members of the same family were killed this week as Sudan continues its sustained bombing campaign across South Kordofan state in the Nuba Mountains, the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) said on Thursday.
Five children from the same family were among the dead, including an eight-month-old baby boy who burned to death after his mother left him inside the house when she went to fetch water. A six-year-old boy was also injured in the attack.
Lodi said the Sudanese air force has been carrying out sustained aerial attacks on villages in South Kordofan’s Rashad county on a daily basis since 26 November.
He said the attacks routinely occurred between 7am and 7pm (local time), with up to 50 bombs dropped each day.
He said the attacks had caused deaths and massive displacements, particularly in the Shamshaka, kaliny, Ardeba, Dien and Farsha villages, with the latter completely destroyed on Monday.
According to Lodi, more than 20,000 people don’t have access to food, shelter or medicines and remain in desperate need of humanitarian assistant.
The SPLM-N said attacks on the Kega-Alkhail area earlier this month had displaced 2,000 people from Jigeba, Torlet and Kuldang villages, which were completely destroyed, while 287 families fled to caves, riverbeds and the bush in Korongo area after separate attacks on Kanga and Lima villages.
The border states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile state has been the scene of violent conflict since 2011 when the SPLM-N launched an insurgency against the Khartoum regime.
Advocacy groups have long accused the Sudanese government of applying a scorched earth policy in the region as a military strategy, with hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing to South Sudan and Ethiopia to escape the bomb attacks.
Peace talks between the two parties remain deadlocked after they failed to reach a common ground for negotiations. While the government says it is only willing to discuss the conflict in the Two Areas, the SPLM-N is demanding a comprehensive peace process.
Last month, SAF announced the beginning of extensive military operations to end rebellion in the country, pledging to eliminate all rebel groups by 2014.
(ST)