Army denies bombing civilians

The Sudanese army on Monday said that “the outlaws’ movement [the southern-based Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army, SPLM/A]” and “known foreign circles”, in order to incriminate Sudan and distort its image internationally, were mounting a propaganda campaign to the effect that Khartoum was bombing civilian targets in southern Sudan. Denying the accusation, the army said it had, on the contrary, been assisting in the delivery of relief to the needy, displaced and war-affected population, the official news agency, Suna, reported. The military would continue to be vigilant in order to “abort all the plots aimed at undermining Sudan’s unity and its adherence to the morals of fighting”, the report added. The army also accused the “outlaws” of laying land mines, abducting and recruiting children, looting and burning towns and villages, the using the war as a means of acquiring personal gain, and being an agent for circles hostile to Sudan. Aid agencies and human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have long accused the government of Sudan of indiscriminate bombing of civilian targets. In its ‘World Report 2001’, Human Rights Watch said that the government of Sudan remained a gross human rights abuser, while rebel groups also committed their share of violations. [for more details, see: http://www.hrw.org/wr2k1/africa/sudan.html]