4 killed in Sudanese air attack in South Sudan

April 9, 2015 (JUBA) – At least four people died and nine others were injured when warplanes allegedly sighted from the direction of neighbouring Sudan dropped bombs inside South Sudanese territory.

At a news conference on Thursday, presidential spokesperson Ateny Wek Ateny told journalists the aerial bombardments had been ongoing for three days in South Sudan’s northern state of Northern Bahr Gazal.

The worst-affected areas were Aweil West county’s Mayom Deng Angok, Akuak-Rial and Nyinboli, where four innocent civilians were killed and nine others were seriously wounded.

Ateny said the latest unprovoked aerial attack took place on Wednesday, with Antonov planes bombarding areas around Western Bahr el Ghazal’s Raja county and Northern Bahr Gazal state.

Ateny confirmed the attack had come from the direction of neighbouring Sudan.

“No any other country that borders South Sudan has the history of this type of unprovoked attacks,” said Ateny.

He said South Sudan condemned the attack “in the strongest terms possible” and also called on the international community, including the UN, troika countries, EU, African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to voie their opposition.

Aweil west county commissioner Kon Angok described that attack as a “blatant violation of the international law”, but said it was also “necessary to maintain diplomatic channels to prevent escalation of such actions in the future”.

Northern Bahr el Ghazal MP Deng Nguac has also accused Sudanese warplanes of violating South Sudan’s airspace on several occasions on Wednesday and Thursday.

“The military jet fighters entered the villages straddling the two counties of Aweil West and North in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, “ he said “Airspace violation took place in several villages.”

(ST)