POWs killed in Sudanese air raids in South Kordofan: rebels
April 18, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – Two prisoners of war were killed by the Sudanese air force this week when a military aircraft bombed their camp in South Kordofan, the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) said.
In a statement released on Saturday, SPLM-N spokesperson Mubarak Ardol said two soldiers from the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) were killed when a military Antonov dropped an explosive barrel bomb on their camp on 16 April.
The victims were named as Ahmed Gibril and Hussein Koja Rngo.
Ardol, who didn’t indicate the location of the camp, said that six other POWs also sustained fragmentation wounds as result of the air strike.
He said that Rngo was among a list of 20 POWs that the SPLM-N had agreed to release as a gesture of goodwill to the Sa’ihoon group.
The Sa’ihoon, a group of former islamist combatants who fought against the rebel group before 2005, announced it had received a list of 20 POWs held by SPLM-N in order to take the necessary measures and authorisations from the Sudanese government and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) ahead of their release.
The SPLM-N urged the ICRC and other international rights groups to investigate the attack and condemn the targeting of the POWs camp. The rebels also called on the international community to denounce the daily air raids carried by the Sudanese government on civilian villages.
Fighting has intensified between the Sudanese army and SPLM-N fighters during the recent months. While the government speaks about military operations to ensure the security of presidential and parliamentary elections, the rebels vowed to obstruct the electoral process.
POLLING UNAFFECTED
Head of the National Election Commission (NEC) Mukhtar, al-Asam said on Saturday that the electoral process in South Kordofan was not affected by the mortar attacks carried out by the rebel group.
Speaking on Sudan TV, al-Asam stressed that the voter turnout percentage in war-torn South Kordofan was similar to the other states.
On the same show, South Kordofan governor Adam al-Faki said more than 46% of eligible voters had cast their ballot in the general election despite SPLM-N attempts to disrupt the process.
Al-Faki said the SPLM-N’s military campaign, which continued from 12 March until 16 April, had claimed the lives of 136 people, with a further 124 wounded.
The SPLM-N shelled the towns of Kadugli and Dilling during the four-day vote and also claimed having intercepted ballot boxes in several areas in South Kordofan.
THREE KILLED
Meanwhile, SPLM-N spokesperson Arnu Nugultu Lodi said in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Saturday that three civilians were killed after the Sudanese army shelled Chururu village, 5km west of Kadugli.
Lodi added that the incident took place on 15 April when SPLM-N fighters carried out a mortar attack on Kadugli from the Chururu village.
He said rockets also wounded five other villagers.
(ST)