Pillay reports abuses in Sudan area

World leaders are called on to investigate violations of international humanitarian law in the Sudanese border regions, a top U.N. human rights official said. Though Sudan's military denied the claims, authorities in South Sudan blamed Khartoum for bombing a refugee camp in its oil-rich border state of Unity. The BBC reports that bombing starting in mid afternoon local time just after a U.N. helicopter arrived delivering food assistance to the area. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told the U.N. Security Council that violence in Sudan undermined regional stability following a comprehensive peace deal in 2005 that culminated in South Sudan becoming the newest independent nation in July. Violence has continued unabated in Abyei, South Kordofan, Blue Nile and other states along the border between the two countries. In South Sudan, heavily armed communities threaten the country's independence, Pillay said. She said since her last appearance before the Security Council in July, she's received "disturbing" and "credible" reports of violations of international humanitarian law in the region. "In the absence of any credible national investigations, I reiterate my call for a thorough and independent international investigation into violations of human rights and international humanitarian law," she said.