Farms destroyed in South Kordofan bombing

Significant tracts of farmland in Sudan’s South Kordofan have been destroyed after aerial and artillery bombardments over the past 48 hours.

Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) spokesman, Arnu Ngutulu Lodi, told Radio Dabanga that on Saturday and Sunday, missiles and bombs were dropped in the Nuba Mountains.

“On Sunday morning, a Sudanese Air Force MiG fighter jet launched three bombs on the area of Umm Serdiba, near to Umm Dorain, southwest of Kadugli. There were no human casualties but much farmland was destroyed and the attack caused panic among the population.”

Lodi continued that on Saturday, Several Shahab missiles were launched by government forces from a platform within Delling at Julud, which lies to the southwest of the city. Similarly, there were no human casualties, but many farms were destroyed and the bombardment caused havoc among the local residents.

He pointed out that this is not the first time that government forces have bombarded the area since President Al Bashir declared a two-month ceasefire: “Several air raids and shelling attacks have directly targeted civilian areas,” he said.

Lodi accused the Khartoum government of “using media coverage of the ceasefire as a smokescreen to divert attention from the ongoing crimes and atrocities committed [by the regime] against the Sudanese people”.

He dismissed the two-month ceasefire as “worthless”.

Miners murdered

The SPLM-N spokesman went on to categorically deny allegations previously covered by Radio Dabanga regarding the death in August of ten traditional gold miners near El Leri East in South Kordofan.

According to the UK-based Sudan Social Development Organisation, SUDO, SPLN-N fighters fired indiscriminately upon the miners in El Jabal El Alakhdar, killing 10 and wounding several others.

Lodui said that the report is “fabricated to hide the Sudanese government’s crimes in the Nuba Mountains”. He added that “the SPLN-N has never targeted any civilian areas”.