Sudan air force bombed town, says UN
/Sudan's air force killed or wounded about 100 people and forced
thousands to flee when it bombed a town in western Sudan this week, the
UN has said. UN spokeswoman Radhia Achouri quoted the African Union
(AU) as saying Sudanese forces had bombed the Darfur town of Shangil
Tobaya on Wednesday. "(The AU) said there are around 100 casualties.
They are not talking about a specific death toll," she told Reuters in
Cairo by telephone. The fighting had forced the UN to withdraw staff
from the area, she said. "Whenever we have incidents like that we
withdraw our people," she said. It is claimed African Union observers
are being prevented from investigating bombing in Sudan's Darfur region
that is believed to have been carried out by government planes. African
Union officials say government troops told observers it was too
dangerous to enter the area where yesterday's bombing took place. The attacks mark a serious
escalation in conflict in the region which has been operating under a
shaky ceasefire since last April. African Union troops are also
investigating whether rebel groups are responsible for burning villages
earlier this week. United Nations monitors say around 10,000 people
have fled from the area. [more] and [more]
