UN condemns shelling of peace conference in Sudan

Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - The UN Tuesday condemned the shelling of Kaduglli in Sudan's South Kordufan, which the government said killed one woman.

A statement issued by the UN office in Khartoum said the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Mr. Ali Al-Za’tari, "condemned (Monday’s) indiscriminate mortar shelling in the South Kordufan state capital, Kaduglli."

The Sudanese Army on Monday said rebels from the Sudan People Liberation Army-North (SPLA-N) shelled the  suburb of Kaduglli, where a peace forum was being held, killing one woman and injuring three other civilians.

Local newspapers however put the death toll at six persons, including a baby.

The UN statement said mortar rounds landed near the Kaduglli office of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), a local school and a local police station.

No UN staff has been reported injured, and UN staffers in Kaduglli have been relocated to the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei base as a precautionary measure.

At the time of the shelling, Kaduglli was hosting a peace conference with up to 600 delegates, including many school children.

“This attack on civilian and UN premises is reprehensible and constitutes a violation of International Humanitarian Law,” the statement quoted Mr. Al-Za’tari as saying.
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