FIGHTING IN the Sudanese state of South Kordofan has spilled over the border into south Sudan, the United Nations said yesterday,
The latest development occurred as the leaders of both countries engaged in talks aimed at defusing a crisis that could return the country to civil war.
“Fighting including bombardments and artillery shelling has been reported in 11 of the 19 localities in Southern Kordofan state, and has spread to Pariang County in Unity State, southern Sudan,” the UN humanitarian office said.
It is estimated that 53,000 have already fled the fighting, while the UN’s partners had reported the “burning of tukuls , looting of humanitarian assets and emergency relief stocks and the presence of land mines” in the state capital Kadugli. The UN said it was pulling all non-essential staff out of the area, as humanitarian workers claimed the northern army was engaged in ethnic cleansing of those deemed to sympathise with the south.
“Government forces say they are looking for southern sympathisers. But they are targeting people based on ethnicity including women and children, our contacts on the ground are telling us,” said John Ashworth, an adviser to the Sudan Ecumenical Forum. “People in government-controlled areas fear for their lives at the moment. They feel they are being hunted down.”
The northern army has been fighting southern-aligned troops in South Kordofan since June 5th. Although a northern state, South Kordofan is home to thousands of troops who sided with the South Sudan army, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), during the 20-year civil war that ended in 2005 after the deaths of two million people. North Sudan has demanded that all SPLA fighters return to the south, but southern Sudan says this is not possible as they are locals.
With South Sudan set to declare independence from the north on July 9th, the crisis in south Kordofan could derail talks between Sudan’s President Bashir and his southern counterpart Salva Kiir, who are meeting in Addis Ababa.
Yesterday they agreed in principle to withdraw troops from the disputed region of Abyei, which the northern army invaded last month. They also agreed to the deployment of Ethiopian peacekeeping troops.
“We have confidence Ethiopian forces will be able to deploy quickly,” said Barney Afako, a spokesman for the African Union.