Civilians have abandoned their homes in the Troji area of South Kordofan and fled to the surrounding hills fearing more aerial attacks and ground assaults after a battle in the area about a week ago.
The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) recently advanced into the Troji area for the first time since about two years and clashed with the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), a rebel group fighting alongside SPLM-N as part of the Sudan Revolutionary Front.
In the aftermath of the battle, a correspondent at the scene said he witnessed dozens burned out vehicles, piles of gun shells, dead bodies lying in the open being preyed on by birds, and two mass burial sites with six to eight graves in each which were apparently dug by a loader truck.
Sudan’s army spokesman has described the battle as a victory in which insurgents were driven from the area, whereas the JEM spokesman claimed the government forces were repulsed leading to much loss of men and equipment.
Villagers in the region told Radio Tamazuj that the battle led also to the burning of farms and shops as well as the looting of four mills. Sukhoi warplanes and tanks were said to have caused the burning of four villages in the battlefield area: Troji, Al Debakaya, Angolo and Al Guenaah.
The number of civilian casualties is not clear but there were at least three dead civilians and seven injured, including two children and a woman.
Tau Tau Kuku Bateria, a traditional leader (omda) of the Troji area, claimed that two mentally ill civilians who did not flee from the area along with the other civilians were later shot dead by government forces.
“In term of houses, facilities and furniture, everything is totally burned. A child of 9 months was injured as well as an old man of 45 years and many others with minor injuries,” said a man at a village near the battlefield.
Photos: Troji battlefield in South Kordofan, near the border with South Sudan, 9 January 2014 (Radio Tamazuj)
Related coverage:
Sudan army clashes with JEM rebels in Trogi near South Sudan border (6 Jan.)