Kiir River village bombed on north-south border

A village on the South Sudan border was bombed continually for three days, Friday to Sunday, according to a UN source. Areas of the Kiir Adhan village near the southern side of the Kiir River were hit. There have been casualties including at least eight to ten wounded combatants. The Kiir River forms the border between Northern Bahr El Ghazal and South Darfur. The incident is being addressed by top army and SPLA leaders through a ceasefire mechanism known as the Joint Defense Board.

The Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) alleged that the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) carried out the aerial bombardment under the mistaken belief that a Darfuri rebel movement had entered the area. The spokesman of SPLA, Philip Aguer, speaking on Radio Miraya FM, said that SPLA does not assist the rebels in any way.

In contrast, the armed forces said they attacked major groups belonging to the Justice and Equality Movement that were trying to enter the area south-west of Al Miram with the assistance of SPLM in South Kordofan. It said in a statement issued on Saturday that the SPLA assisted the Justice and Equality Movement in the evacuation of its troops to the south and treatment of their wounded.