ICRC flights back in operation

The ICRC on Monday announced the resumption of its aid flights in southern Sudan under new, stricter conditions. The agency suspended flight operations on 9 May following an incident in which an ICRC aircraft came under fire and the Danish co-pilot, Ole Friis Eriksen, was killed. The decision to resume service, as of Monday, was based on information indicating that the attack had not been premeditated, but the result of a tragic combination of circumstances, and that the ICRC was not deliberately targeted, the agency stated in a press release.

[http://www.icrc.org/eng/news]
The aircraft had been forced by a technical problem to descend to an altitude of 2,500m over the Didinga Hills (4.05 N; 33.31 E) in Eastern Equatoria, an area with plateaus and peaks culminating at over 2,500 m. It was therefore quite near the ground when it came under fire by what appeared to have been a light automatic weapon in an area known to harbour several armed groups belonging to various movements, ICRC stated. From now on, the ICRC’s flights would be subject to more specific security directives, relating in particular to the zones overflown and the minimum altitude to be maintained, it added. The agency noted that ICRC aircraft had been overflying this area for several years, and that all parties involved in the conflict had been kept fully informed. The ICRC continued to pursue its contacts with the parties concerned in order to explore the exact circumstances of the tragedy, it added.