Sudan: Situation calm in Blue Nile state

There is no reason to worry about security in Blue Nile state because alerts were unjustifiably raised after mistaken gunfire, a Sudanese army spokesman said. Reports of fighting between rival Sudanese forces in Blue Nile state, which borders Sudan and South Sudan, prompted strong words from Catherine Ashton, the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs. "These clashes represent a dangerous escalation of the conflict in South Kordofan state which has been going on since June 5, amidst reports of serious human rights violations and continuing lack of humanitarian access," she said. The United Nations and human rights organizations said there is evidence violence in South Kordofan, including reports of mass graves, is ethnically motivated. Col. Al-Sawarmi Khalid Saad, a spokesman for the Sudanese military, said in statements to the official Sudan News Agency that a "state of tension and panic" overcame the citizens of Blue Nile state when a soldier "opened fire by mistake." He added there was no reason to worry about the security situation, stressing nobody was injured and the situation there was calm. Sudan made similar claims regarding South Kordofan. Both states border South Sudan, which became an independent country in July as part of a peace deal that ended Sudan's civil war in 2005.