Five killed in Sudanese air raid: official

JUBA, Saturday

A Sudanese plane today bombed Bentiu, capital of South Sudan’s oil-rich border state of Unity, killing five civilians and wounding six, a local government spokesman said.

Gideon Gatfan, spokesman of the Unity state government, said one bomb fell beside a car market near a bridge which was the target of the raid.
“Five traders have been killed,” he told AFP.

Gatfan said earlier that the raid had failed to destroy the bridge, which links Bentiu to a road leading to the border between Sudan and South Sudan some 60 kilometres to the north, the theatre of fierce clashes in recent days.

It was the second air raid reported by South Sudanese officials on Bentiu since Thursday.

The Sudanese military in Khartoum could not be reached for comment.

The South Sudan army claimed today to still be in control of the oil hub of Heglig after Khartoum said it had launched an offensive to recapture the area seized by Juba’s forces on Thursday. (AFP)