Sudanese army denies launching aerial attacks against rebels in South Kordofan

Sudanese army on Wednesday refuted accusation by rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM)/northern sector that the army launched air operations against villages in Sudan's South Kordofan state. "The Sudanese army has not carried out any aerial operations in South Kordofan targeting the SPLM camps," Al-Sawarmy Khalid Saad, a Sudanese army spokesman, told Xinhua. "These accusations are baseless, but the Sudanese army maintains the right to bombard any area where the rebels are found, " he added. The spokesman further reiterated that the army does not target any civilians but work to protect them. The rebels of the SPLM/northern sector on Wednesday said the Sudanese army launched aerial attacks against villages in South Kordofan. "The Sudanese army has launched aerial attacks that targeted villages of Um Sardiba, Karkaray, Tungul and Al-Itmour in South Kordofan which resulted in the injuring of a child," said Arno Taloudy, SPLM/northern sector spokesman, in a statement, a copy of which was obtained by Xinhua. "The aerial attacks were carried out by four aircraft, two Mig and two Antonov, which dropped 15 bombs on the said areas," he added. Taloudy further accused the Sudanese government of putting barriers via the attacks to hamper the efforts of the international community to deliver humanitarian assistance to the affected people in the state. South Kordofan State has been witnessing armed clashes since September 2011 between the Sudanese government and the SPLM/ northern sector which declared its rebellion against the government after the independence of South Sudan.