Sudan air force bombed town, says UN

Sudan's air force killed or wounded about 100 people and forced thousands to flee when it bombed a town in western Sudan this week, the UN has said. UN spokeswoman Radhia Achouri quoted the African Union (AU) as saying Sudanese forces had bombed the Darfur town of Shangil Tobaya on Wednesday. "(The AU) said there are around 100 casualties. They are not talking about a specific death toll," she told Reuters in Cairo by telephone. The fighting had forced the UN to withdraw staff from the area, she said. "Whenever we have incidents like that we withdraw our people," she said. It is claimed African Union observers are being prevented from investigating bombing in Sudan's Darfur region that is believed to have been carried out by government planes. African Union officials say government troops told observers it was too dangerous to enter the area where yesterday's bombing took place. The attacks mark a serious escalation in conflict in the region which has been operating under a shaky ceasefire since last April. African Union troops are also investigating whether rebel groups are responsible for burning villages earlier this week. United Nations monitors say around 10,000 people have fled from the area. [more] and [more]

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