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| Sudan – The exodus of a people |
The United Nations estimates that 40,000 people have fled from the State of northern Kordofan and in particular from the city of Kaduqli, because of fighting between Sudanese government troops, Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), and members of the former southern rebel group, the Sudan People`s Liberation Army (SPLA).
Shelling was heard in the town of Kauda and Antonov planes have been seen carrying out aerial bombardment in areas with a significant civilian population, in the Heiban and Um Dorain areas among others. Low-flying MIG fighter planes have been used to terrify the displaced people seeking shelter around the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), just north of Kadugli.
For the last seven days, people have locked themselves in their homes without food or water, for fear of being killed. Others have fled to the Nuba mountains, where they are being hunted down by helicopter gunships.
According to the Sudan Ecumenical Forum report, several eye-witness accounts indicate that SAF troops are carrying out “house-to-house” searches in the towns, pulling out suspected opposition sympathisers and in some cases killing them on the spot. Meanwhile, the SPLA has been accused of committing atrocities and failing to protect civilians.
“The international community, led by the UN Security Council, with the explicit and unwavering support from particularly China, USA, the African Union, the Arab League and the European Union, must urgently take all measures to stop hostilities, protect civilians and allow humanitarian access to all parts of South Kordofan, as a first step to re-engaging the opposing political and military parties in the search for a negotiated solution,” the Co-President of the Sudan Ecumenical Forum Eberhard Hitzler declared.
In the same statement the SEF indicates the priorities: immediately create a “no-fly zone” over the State of Kordofan, the emergency workers be allowed to deliver relief, and the United Nations Mission in Sudan protect civilians. At present an estimated 300,000 people in South Kordofan are besieged, cut off from relief aid, and unable to escape the fighting.
For the present the Salesians in the Provincial Delegation are all well. The city of El Obeid, in the centre of the country where the Salesians are has become a focus for refugees. The situation is difficult and in a tense atmosphere schools have been closed.
Published 13/06/2011
