Sudan air raid kills 5 civilians in South Sudan
An image grab taken from footage obtained by AFP shows Sudanese troops celebrating next to a burned military vehicle on March 29, 2012, one day after recapturing Sudan’s southern oil center of Heglig following fighting with South Sudanese forces along the border. Southern troops have once again seized the Heglig oilfields, parts of which are claimed by both countries.
A Sudanese air raid on a border city in South Sudan killed five civilians and wounded six today. The plane bombed Bentiu, the capital city of South Sudan's oil-rich border state of Unity, according to Agence France-Presse.
"Five traders have been killed," state government spokesman Gideon Gatfan told AFP. "The bomb fell next to a place where cars are being sold. We also found that six people were wounded including one woman and they are now admitted to Bentiu Hospital," he said.
More from GlobalPost: Sudan vows retaliation after South Sudan seizes Heglig oilfield
Gatfan also said the raid had failed to destroy the bridge that links Bentiu to a road that leads to the border between Sudan and South Sudan about 60 km (35 miles) to the north, where there have been many recent clashes, reported The Australian Eye. It was the second air raid reported by South Sudanese officials on Bentiu since Thursday.
The South Sudan army said it was still in control of oil hub Heglig after Khartoum claimed it had attempted to recapture the area seized by Juba on Tuesday, according to AFP. The South Sudan army said it had rid the village of Kelmet — 40 km (25 miles) from Heglig — of the Sudanese Armed Forces and destroyed two of its tanks on Friday.
Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you. We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll help us unlock a matching gift of $67,000!