Satellite images show “mass graves” in Sudan

A U.S. monitoring group said Thursday that it had satellite images of mass graves in the Sudanese state of South Kordofan.

The images, acquired by the Satellite Sentinel project, support witness reports that mass graves were dug to bury 100 or more people killed last month in the town of Kadugli.

Satellite Sentinel, which was set up by American actor and rights activist George Clooney, said:

Based on an analysis of DigitalGlobe satellite imagery and eyewitness reports obtained by the Satellite Sentinel Project, SSP has identified a site consistent with mass graves in Kadugli.

According to BBC reports, fighting broke out in the region on June 5 between the Sudanese army and rebels from the Nuba mountains.

(Read more on GP: Obama calls for Sudan cease-fire VIDEO)

Satellite Sentinel says the images support allegations the Sudanese armed forces targeted civilians believed to be opposed to the government.

Agence France-Presse reported witnesses accounts that the Sudanese Armed Forces, along with government-aligned militias, conducted house-to-house searches, and murdered those suspected of supporting the south's former rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army.

A Sudanese military spokesman denied the claims.

Some 70,000 people have fled the fighting in South Kordofan, which borders the new nation of South Sudan.