Sudan / South Kordofan: Fighting escalates ahead of independence
| Publisher | Norwegian Refugee Council/Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (NRC/IDMC) |
| Publication Date | 16 June 2011 |
| Cite as | Norwegian Refugee Council/Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (NRC/IDMC), Sudan / South Kordofan: Fighting escalates ahead of independence, 16 June 2011, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4dfef2372.html [accessed 2 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Heavy fighting involving bombardments and shelling between Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) erupted on 6 June in Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan State. In the following days it spread to 11 of the 19 localities in South Kordofan State and to Pariang County in Unity State in Southern Sudan. In Kadugli, humanitarian agencies have reported the burning of homes, looting of humanitarian assets and emergency relief stocks, and the laying of land mines. Increasing threats by SAF and SPLA members against UN national staff have been reported throughout South Kordofan State.
There are unconfirmed reports by agencies operating in the area that more than 53,000 people have been displaced. It is estimated that from 30,000 to 40,000 people have fled Kadugli town; and a further 23,500 have been displaced throughout South Kordofan State. As of the evening of 11 June, there were approximately 5,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) around Talodi, 3,000 around Heiban, 10,000 people in Rashad, more than 3,000 people in Kurchi and 2,500 in Abu Karshola.
The number of IDPs in urgent need of relief assistance is increasing, but assessments and the delivery of assistance cannot begin unless security improves. The only group of IDPs to which the humanitarian community has access to is clustered around the compound of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS ) on the outskirts of Kadugli. The IDPs' access to water is critically inadequate as supplies from the town to the compound have been cut off. The supply of essential goods to villages in the Kadugli area has also stopped since the outbreak of fighting.
