Artillery and mortar shells hit the capital of South Kordofan on Friday morning from rebel positions west of the city, according to sources inside Kadugli.

Eyewitnesses said that sounds of firing were first heard at about 4:00 in the morning towards Koya and Khaliat. At approximately 7:00 the shells began falling within the city including the area Hajar al-Nar, killing a woman and two children, according to preliminary information.

Residents have fled from western neighborhoods of the city.

In a related development, the news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) is reporting that one UN peacekeeper was killed in the shelling at a logistics base in Kadugli and two more were injured.

File photo by Nuba Reports