KHARTOUM: Shells hit a United Nations base in Sudan’s troubled South Kordofan state yesterday, killing one peacekeeper and wounding two more, a UN spokesman said.
But local residents suspect anti-government rebels hit the base by mistake as they were aiming for a nearby football stadium scheduled to host the opening matches of a regional tournament on Tuesday.
Two shells struck a UN logistics base in South Kordofan’s capital Kadugli, UN peacekeeping spokesman Kieran Dwyer told AFP. Rebels have been fighting Sudanese forces in the state for the past two years and the UN says there is a major humanitarian crisis there.
“One United Nations peacekeeper was killed in this shelling and two more injured. We condemn in the strongest terms this shelling,” Dwyer said.
The UN was not able to immediately say who carried out the attack, but insurgents of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) have periodically shelled Kadugli since late last year, causing some fatalities.
The UN does not have access to much of South Kordofan, but it uses Kadugli as a support base for its peacekeeping mission in nearby Abyei, a territory disputed by Sudan and South Sudan.
“The funny thing is that this was the safest area in Kadugli,” one resident told AFP, asking for anonymity.
“I think they were targeting the stadium and the police base near the stadium.”
Another resident said he heard heavy weapons fire on Friday morning at the same time as the shelling.
“They want to disrupt (the) CECAFA” Club Cup, said the resident.
An SPLM-N spokesman could not be reached for comment.
UN peacekeeper slain as Sudan base shelled
