US congressional committee holds hearing on South Kordofan’s ‘ethnic cleansing’
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August 4, 2011 (WASHIGTON) – Accounts of atrocities allegedly
committed by Sudan army in the country’s state of South Kordofan were
recited in a hearing organised by a US congressional committee on
Thursday.
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Since 5 June, Sudan’s army has been fighting a war against rebels of
the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) in the country southern
state of South Kordofan, which borders the war-battered western region
of Darfur and the newly independent state of South Sudan.
More than 72,000 people were displaced by the fighting as it
intensified with heavy aerial bombardment by Sudan army, according to
UN figures. A large number of people are believed to be killed amid
reports that Sudan army has been targeting the African Nuba population
many of whom are aligned with the rebels.
UN agencies accused Sudan of hampering access of humanitarian aid to
the affected population.
US congressman Chris Smith, who chairs the house congressional panel
on African issues and international human rights, convened an
emergency hearing on Thursday and listened to three “witnesses” who
recounted claims of “ethnic cleansing, murders, rapes” and a
burgeoning humanitarian crisis in the area.
“Whatever the numbers involved, we can be sure that the suffering of
the people in Southern Kordofan, especially the Nuba people, has been
catastrophic,” Smith said in his opening remarks.
The hearing, entitled “Southern Kordofan: Ethnic Cleansing and
Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan,” received testimonies by Andudu Adam
Elnail, a bishop at the Anglican Diocese of Kadugli in South Kordofan,
Bradford Phillips, President of Persecution Project, and Luka Biong
Deng a member of South Sudan’s ruling SPLM the political wing of the
SPLA.
All three witnesses spoke of wide-ranging atrocities committed by the
Sudan army against the Nuba population, and called on the US
Administration to rally international efforts to stem the crisis.
“These are not statistics; these are real people. The only reason they
are being exterminated is because they are African. We can’t sit by
and watch it happen,” Phillips said. “Mr. President what are you going
to do? You know it’s happening; what are you going to do?,” he added.
Bishop Andudu said his own Anglican cathedral, offices and home in
South Kordofan’s state capital of Kadugli were ransacked and looted.
He also said a member of his congregation reported seeing mass graves
less than a mile away.
He called on the US and other members of the international community
to begin to “translate moral outrage into effective action” to save
lives.
“The Nuba people fear that we will be forgotten, that the world will
stand idly by while mass killings continue without redress,” he said.
“Our hope is that the United States will lead the international
community in taking prompt, effective action to protect tens of
thousands of displaced people, including an untold number of civilians
being killed house-to-house and bombed by their own government.”
Last month, the Sudanese parliament issued a resolution denouncing the
“hostile” activities of the US congress against the country. The
legislative body also called for reviewing the bilateral ties and
instituting a "tit for tat" policy in dealing with Washington.
However, the resolution was unexpectedly criticised by the country’s
minister of foreign affairs who described the move as “excessive zeal”
(ST)
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