EU foreign policy chief urges SAF to halt bombings

South Sudan
November 13, 2011 (Miraya FM)

The European Union Foreign Policy chief, Catherine Ashton, has urged the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) to “put an immediate halt to aerial bombings in the border areas”.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said at least two bombs were dropped by an aircraft flying in from Sudan into Yida area on Thursday. A camp sheltering thousands of refugees fleeing fighting from South Kordofan was damaged.

“Such attacks represent a dangerous escalation of the situation and serve to increase tensions at a time when Sudan and South Sudan need to reach a negotiated solution on outstanding issues”, said Ashton in a statement issued on Saturday.

The EU foreign policy chief condemned the attack on the Yida refugee camp and said the SAF must halt their activities along the border areas.

In a related development, the Khartoum government has been accused of lying over the bombing of a refugee camp in South Sudan.

The Sudanese ambassador to the UN Daffa Al-Elhag told the Security Council on Friday that Sudan was not responsible for the aerial bombardment. He however said that Sudan has a right to deal militarily with any form of rebellion at its borders.

The US described the ambassador’s statement as a “blatant lie”. The US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, said the lie is disturbing to both the US and the UN.

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