ICRC clinic bombed

A clinic run by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was damaged, several homes destroyed and at least one person wounded on Saturday when an “unidentified aircraft” bombed a village in the tense southwest region of Bahr el Ghazal, an ICRC spokesman told IRIN on Tuesday. The ICRC said it planned to raise the issue with the Sudanese government and the rebel Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A). The attack occurred on Saturday morning at the village of Chelkou where 14 bombs were dropped.

“Three of them were dropped at the local airstrip and shrapnel penetrated the tailplane of the ICRC aircraft,” Juan Martinez said. “It was nevertheless able to depart for Lokichokio in northern Kenya with three of our delegates who have been temporarily withdrawn.” He said ICRC, which operates in both government and rebel-controlled territory throughout southern Sudan, wanted to find out the reason for the attack.

The bombing occurred the day after a three-month ceasefire in Bahr el Ghazal ended. The government of Sudan and southern rebels at weekend blamed each other for a series of ceasefire violations in the region where a cessation of hostilities had been called in April to enable the delivery of humanitarian relief. Although Khartoum said it would still respect the ceasefire, the Sudanese External Relations Ministry said it reserved the right to “repulse aggression”.