South Kordofan’s capital, Kadugli, resembles a ghost town after the city was exposed to renewed artillery attacks by the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) on Tuesday evening November 13, sources said.
Witnesses said that at least seven people have been killed and a number of others injured as a result of the artillery shelling. They added that Sudanese army and Central Reserve Forces (Abu Tira) bases, east of the city were targeted.
Among the dead were four members of a single family, the father Naway Kafi, his wife and two daughters, according to one witness. The source added that transport to leave Kadugli was scarce throughout the morning yesterday, the day after the attack. Private vehicle owners have raised ticket prices as more and more people seek to leave the city.
For its part, the government confirmed SRF’s attack, stating that around five shells were dropped east of Kadugli (Hai Hajr al-Mak), explaining that the attack started at six in the evening and did not continue for long. Ahmed Haroun, governor of South Kordofan, stated he holds the SRF responsible for the continuation of the ‘war’ in the state.
‘Self defense’
At the same time, the SRF described its attack on Kadugli as ‘self defense’ and as ‘a way to put an end to the control centers and operations of the Sudanese army’.
Yasir Arman, secretary-general of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, said in an interview with Radio Dabanga that the reason for targeting Kadugli is because it is the main center of the ‘war’ and more than half a million people have been displaced as a result.
Arman stated: “we want the aircrafts that bombard ‘liberated areas’ to remain silent forever”. He emphasized that the SRF is on the side of Kadugli’s residents and its task is to defend them. The secretary-general continued by saying: “we call on the people of Kadugli to leave the city, and not to allow Ahmed Haroun to use them as human shields and to hold them hostage”, he added.
On the other hand, eye-witnesses fleeing from Kadugli said they face harsh living conditions. The witnesses said they live in the open, without any shelter, food, water or medicine.
They noted that the majority of refugees are currently staying in El-Dilling and the area of Ban Jadeed at about 15 kilometers south of El-Obeid and in the area of El-Koz south of El-Rahed as well as the area of Sha’eer at 35 kilometers south of Kadugli.
The witnesses added that the government blocked humanitarian organizations from providing aid to the area.
Cross-posted at www.radiodabanga.org.
Photo: SPLA-N fire a mortar during an offensive on Tolodi last March (Azhari Guda / NubaReports.org)