---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: John Ashworth <[email protected]> Date: Sat, 29 Oct 2011 10:35:06 +0300 Subject: [sudan-john-ashworth] Sudanese refugees flee government bombing To: Group <[email protected]>
1. Sudanese refugees say fleeing government bombing-UN Fri Oct 28, 2011 2:14pm GMT GENEVA Oct 28 (Reuters) - Nearly 2,000 Sudanese refugees who say they are fleeing government bombing in the Blue Nile state have crossed over into Ethiopia in the last four days alone, the United Nations said on Friday. "The new arrivals are mostly women, children and the elderly. They tell us they fled bombings and fear of bombings by Antonov planes," the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement, citing refugee accounts. "There are also reports (from refugees) that armed militia on the Sudanese side of the Kurmuk border have warned the community to leave the area, possibly in preparation for a ground offensive," it said. There was no immediate comment by the Khartoum government, whose armed forces launched an attack on rebels in Sudan's main oil state of South Kordofan on Wednesday and seized a rebel military camp, an army spokesman told a state-linked news website. The Sudanese army has been fighting SPLM-N rebels since June in South Kordofan, which borders newly independent South Sudan. Violence spread to the neighbouring state of Blue Nile last month. An estimated 28,700 Sudanese refugees have fled the Blue Nile state and crossed into Ethiopia since fighting began in early September, the UNHCR said. "With the current situation in Blue Nile, more refugees are expected to arrive in Ethiopia," it said, adding that it was working with Ethiopian authorities to expand a camp at Tongo, about 200 km from Kurmuk. Ethiopia is also hosting some 174,000 Somali refugees, about half of whom arrived this year fleeing drought, famine and fighting in the anarchic Horn of Africa nation, it said. UNHCR's appeal for $10 million to meet the urgent needs of Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia is only 5 percent funded, according to the agency. "We urge the international community to step up their response to this growing crisis," it said. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Karolina Tagaris) http://af.reuters.com/article/sudanNews/idAFL5E7LS2TK20111028 END1 2. Sudanese flee Blue Nile 'bombing' BBC 28 October 2011 Last updated at 15:29 GMT Aerial bombings in Sudan's Blue Nile state have forced nearly 2,000 people to flee to neighbouring Ethiopia, the UN refugee agency has said. Most of the refugees were women, children and elderly people, with some walking for three weeks, it said. The Sudanese army has denied previous accusations that it has conducted bombing raids in Blue Nile state. Since September its troops have been battling rebels allied to South Sudan, which became independent in July. About 28,700 people have fled the area since fighting erupted last month. The UNHCR said the new arrivals reported air strikes in areas between Blue Nile's capital, Damazin, and the town of Kurmuk, near the Ethiopian border. "They tell us they fled bombings and fear of bombings by Antonov planes," the UNHCR said in a statement. "There are also reports that armed militia on the Sudanese side of the Kurmuk border have warned the community to leave the area, possibly in preparation for a ground offensive," it said. Ethiopian troops The Sudanese army denies bombing Blue Nile, but says its troops are advancing on Kurmuk after last week capturing the town of Sali, 29km (18 miles) away. The rebels, however, deny losing control of Sali. Last month, the Sudanese government declared a state of emergency in Blue Nile and appointed a military governor for the region. It also lodged a complaint in September with the UN Security Council, accusing South Sudan of sending 25 armed land cruisers to support rebels in Blue Nile. South Sudan denied the allegation. Blue Nile is one of three border areas - along with South Kordofan and Abyei - where fighting has broken out since South Sudan's independence. Many rebels in the three regions fought alongside southerners during the decades-long civil war that ended with Khartoum agreeing to the south's independence. The rebels accuse Sudan's army of now launching a campaign of "ethnic cleansing" in the three regions, while Khartoum accuses them of trying to ignite a new civil war. In July, the UN Security Council sanctioned the deployment of 300 Ethiopian troops to monitor a demilitarized buffer zone between the two countries. Last month, the defence ministers of Sudan and South Sudan - Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein and John Kong Nyuon respectively - signed an agreement to ease tension at border crossings. They agreed that teams with six soldiers from each side and six Ethiopian peacekeepers would be stationed at the crossings to investigate any reports of violations. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15497715 END2 3. Sudan says closing in on rebel stronghold in Blue Nile state October 27, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government on Thursday claimed that its forces are now on the outskirts of Al-Kurmuk district which is currently under the control by rebel forces. The deputy governor of Blue Nile state Adam Abakr Ismail was quoted by Sudan official news agency (SUNA) as saying that forces loyal to Sudan People Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) are escaping the area as a result. Fighting broke out last month in the state which borders South Sudan and Ethiopia following clashes between SPLM-N units led by then Governor Malik Agar and Sudan Armed Forces (SAF). It is not clear what triggered the fighting, with both sides blaming trading. Agar was later sacked by president Omer Hassan al-Bashir. SAF has reportedly managed to flush out SPLM-N from most parts of the Blue Nile except few areas including the strategic town of al-Kurmuk. The army’s spokesperson Colonel Al-Sawarmi Khalid Sa’ad said today that SAF launched an attack on SPLM-N camp in South Kordofan state in Ingarto area which is 37 kilometers northwest of Taloodi. Sa’ad said they seized a huge cache of weapons and managed to kill 15 SPLM-N soldiers while sustaining only one injury on SAF side. But the SPLM-N denied SAF claims and issued a statement saying that repelled three attacks in Abri, Ingarto and Abu al-Hassan. The statement signed by SPLM-N spokesperson Arnu Loodi said that rebel forces managed to kill 40 SAF soldiers in these attacks and steal many weapons. (ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/Sudan-says-closing-in-on-rebel,40557 END3 ______________________ John Ashworth Sudan Advisor [email protected] +254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile) +249 919 695 362 (Sudan mobile) +27 82 853 3556 (South Africa mobile) +44 750 304 1790 (UK/international) +88 216 4334 0735 (Thuraya satphone) PO Box 52002 - 00200, Nairobi, Kenya This is a personal e-mail address and the contents do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation -- The content of this message does not necessarily reflect John Ashworth's views. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, John Ashworth is not the author of the content and the source is always cited. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sudan-john-ashworth" group. 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