Sudanese warplane hits South Sudan territory: official

December 31, 2014 (MAPEL) – A Sudanese warplane raided South Sudan’s Western Bahr el Ghazal state on Tuesday, killing two people and wounding seven others, a local official disclosed.

“On Tuesday at 1:30AM [local time], Sudanese military aircraft released several bombs on the civilian populated area of Dem-Jallab, which is about 35 miles west of Raja town killing two people and wounding seven others,” Raja county commissioner James Benjamin Mardama told reporters in the state capital, Wau on Wednesday.

He said those wounded are admitted in Raja hospital.

“This is a barbaric attack on the people of Raja county by Sudan army,” added Mardama.

The commissioner, however, said the world’s youngest nation would remain firm and defend its territory from any external aggression.

He further disclosed that the state government dispatched a security committee to go and investigate the attack, which comes a month after a similar incident in the area left over 30 dead.

Sudan Tribune could not immediately get reactions from Sudanese officials on the attack.

Khartoum and Juba regularly trade accusations of support to rebel groups from both sides.

South Sudan’s foreign affairs minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin visited Sudan on Tuesday to discuss Khartoum’s latest accusations that Juba was harbouring Sudanese rebels.

Juba denies the allegations and accuses Khartoum of supporting the rebel SPLM-In-Opposition, saying they receive weapons and ammunition from the Sudanese army.

North and South Sudan split in July 2011 after over two decades of a bloody civil war.

(ST).