US anger against Sudanese bombardment of a southern village
Sudan-USA, Politics, 2/14/2002

The US has expressed its great anger over the Sudanese air force planes bombardment of a village in south Sudan in a violation to a promise to the special US envoy to Sudan.

Spokesman for the US state department said in a statement that this horrified and foolish attack indicates continued targeting of civilians and humanitarian operations deliberately.

The US spokesman added that the US is very angry over the military action on February 10 as it breaks "Khartoum's pledge to the U.S. special envoy for peace in Sudan, Senator John Danforth, to end bombings of civilian targets for a period of four weeks."

The US spokesman said "six government bombs killed two Sudanese children in Akuem, Bahr al-Ghazal State. The Sudanese air force dropped the bombs on a World Food Program emergency drop site only three hours after an airdrop of food commodities. Civilians were still on the ground collecting food at the time of the attack. The World Food Program aircraft had received flight clearance from the Sudanese government and had originated from a government airfield."

He added that the attack which took place revealed the importance of solving this problem as soon as possible and to find a mechanism to investigate the prevention of similar acts from taking place in the future.

Worthy mentioning that the incident took place in the southern province of Bahr al-Ghazal where government's forces are fighting with the rebels. The US said "This attack comes at a time when the United States is working with the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement and the Sudanese government on ways to end attacks on civilians -- a crucial unresolved issue in the Danforth initiative and an important building block in efforts to end the Sudan conflict."

Previous Stories:
  Clashes between Sudanese rebels, government forces   (2/13/2002)
  Tension at the Sudanese- Eritrean borders   (2/13/2002)
  Sudan's foreign minister in Washington   (2/6/2002)
  Sudan rejects US inspection of one of its ships in the Arab Sea   (1/18/2002)

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