Tensions high after days of fighting in Sudanese state – UN

The situation in the Sudanese state of Southern Kordofan remained tense today after several days of fighting between the Sudanese army and the forces of the southern region that is due to become independent next month, the United Nations mission there reported.

Gunfire was still being heard and looting was going on in Kadugli, the Southern Kordofan capital, from where large numbers of residents have fled, according to an update by the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS).

It remains unclear how many civilians have been displaced by the violence, but up to 3,000 people have gathered near the UNMIS compound in Kadugli town. The mission had set aside safe areas for nearly 1,500 people, and a humanitarian assessment was due to take place today to determine the needs of those displaced.

UN peacekeepers are patrolling Kadugli and UNMIS has reinforced its military presence with a company of Bangladeshi troops from Juba, the capital of Southern Sudan.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP), meanwhile, said that it has provided food aid to an estimated 86,300 people displaced by the recent military confrontation in the disputed area of Abyei.

In addition WFP distributed rations of the ready-to-use therapeutic food, known as PlumpyDoz, to prevent malnutrition among some 1,910 displaced children under the age of two.

“WFP is concerned with the disruption of livelihoods in the Abyei area. This is the height of the planting season and if people cannot plant, they will need food assistance for a prolonged period of time,” said Amor Almagro, a WFP spokesperson in Sudan.