Rebels in South Kordofan shelled the state capital of Kadugli on Tuesday and Wednesday causing two deaths and wounding an unconfirmed number of children.
The long-range attack was carried out by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), which fights under the umbrella of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF).
An eyewitness who preferred anonymity told Radio Tamazuj that about three bombs blasted in Hai Hajar, Kadugli market and nearby at the Manar Primary School at 1:30pm yesterday. “At least two people including an elderly woman have been killed and dozens of children wounded yesterday by an attack allegedly carried out by the SRF.”
The witness added that the shelling is thought to have come from east of the town where SPLM-N troops are stationed. The witness said that the shelling started in the morning and caused panic and the closure of institutions such as schools and markets.
For his part, the spokesperson for the SPLM-N Arnu Ngutulu Lodi told Radio Tamazuj that the missiles targeted sites of the Sudan Armed Forces in Kadugli: “The shelling is a response to the aerial bombardments killing civilians in Buram and Kujuria.” He strongly denied that the SPLM-N shelling on 19 November targeted the population. “It’s the government forces that are using civilians as a human shield.”
Lodi stressed that the shelling on military sites in Kadugli will continue and in other cities too for “as long as Antonov and Sukhoi fighter jets of the government continue to bomb civilians day and night. He appealed to the residents of Kadugli and other areas in South Kordofan “to stay away from military sites and places where militias are operating.”
Governor Ali El Faki has announced that the SPLM-N missile attack on Kadugli was not aimed “at any military site,” but targeted houses of civilians, killing two people and wounding four others. He also reported that the El Manar Primary School in Hajar El Mak neighbourhood in the eastern part of the city was damaged.
Shelling has continued today, according to a source in Kadugli, but the damage has not yet been assessed. Businesses and schools are still closed.
File photo: Munitions held by the SPLA-N (Nuba Reports)