{{Satellite images from the South Sudan’s border town of Jau have provided evidence that Sudan bombed the area last weekend in violation of the September agreements and the international law, the United States’ Enough Project has said.}}
Digital Globe panchromatic imagery of the fortified village of Jau shows a crater, approximately seven meters in diameter, consistent with aerial bombardment, Enough said.
“According to Digital Globe Analytics, at least two tent structures were destroyed by the bomb blast. At least one more bomb crater was noted north of the village,” it added.
The Satellite Sentinel Project recorded the images from September 8. None of these features was seen in earlier images in July 12 imagery of the same area.
“By targeting a historic flash point for violence at a sensitive moment, the attack has heightened bilateral tensions between the two Sudans,” Enough said.
Sudan war planes dropped two bombs in Jau last Saturday, killing an army soldier and his wife. Six others were wounded in the raid.
The Sudanese army denied the bombing, according to media reports.
The bombing came days after a summit between the Presidents of the two countries in Khartoum, in which they agreed to improve bilateral relations and cooperation, notably to implement nine previous agreements unconditionally.
Jau partly falls within a 20km buffer zone agreed upon by South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and his Sudan counterpart Omar al-Bashir on September 27 last year in Addis Ababa.
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However, Enough said that although South Sudan has withdrawn from much of the frontier in Jau, it still maintained three secured military installations that fall within 4km of the buffer zone.
“Each observed installation has a line of tents surrounded by a perimeter of foxholes, which Digita Globe Analytics believe protects family structures near the center of the installations,” it said in its latest report on Sudan-South Sudan relations.
It also said that the presence of these installations within the buffer zone is a violation of the September 27 agreement.
“Notwithstanding South Sudan’s current non-compliance with its agreement to demilitarize its border areas, the Sudanese government’s aerial bombardment of Jau, now confirmed by the Satellite Sentinel Project, is an illegal use of force under international law,” the report said.
Sudan and South Sudan are yet to demarcate their borders, resolve security concern and conduct a referendum on the status of Abyei as part of post-secession issues.
NMG
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