Bombing forces MSF out

The non-governmental organisation Medecins sans frontieres (MSF) said on Tuesday that an aerial bombing campaign by the Sudanese government had forced it to suspend its aid operations in part of northern Bahr el Ghazal province, in South Sudan. In a statement released in Paris, the NGO said it was “deeply concerned that its humanitarian aid and transport planes are becoming targets of bombardments”. The statement warned there would be “extremely serious consequences for the civil population” if access to the area remained “impossible”.

Government planes have bombed Akuem village, Billing, Malual Kon and Yangshiek since 27 July, MSF stated. In Akuem, on 28 July, three bombs “landed about 200 yards from the runway where an MSF plane was stationary”. The same government aircraft returned 30 minutes later and dropped another three bombs “which landed 500 yards from the health centre [which was] clearly identifiable by a large MSF flag”. Humanitarian aircraft were based in the villages of Billing, Malual Kon and Yangshied when they were bombed, the statement added.