Foreword
"Médecins Sans Frontières"
has been with the populations of The Sudan since 1979. From east to west,
from north to south, the volunteers of the association have constantly
tried their utmost best to bring medical assistance and relief to the Sudanese
people and to advocate for their plight, without discrimination, in times
of famine, outbreaks and war.
For the past two years, the Swiss section of the MSF movement has been renovating, re-equipping and re-launching medical and surgical activities in the civilian hospital of Kaju-Kaji (Province of Equatoria).
Since the beginning of the year 1999 until this very moment, we have been experiencing and witnessing direct aerial bombings of the hospital, while full of patients, and of the living compound of our medical team (10 bombings in 1999, a total of 66 bombs dropped, with 13 hitting the hospital premises). Facing the sharp increase of aerial bombardments in this region during 1999, frequently aimed at civilian structures such as hospitals, in November 1999, we requested an investigation of these events and their consequences for the civilian population in the area.
The elements of this investigation, included in the report herewith, tend to demonstrate that the strategy used by the Sudanese Air Force in this region, is deliberately aimed at targeting civilian structures, causing indiscriminate deaths and injuries, and contributes to a climate of terror among the civilian population.
Furthermore, evidence has been found and serious allegations have been made that weapons of internationally prohibited nature are regularly employed against the civilian population such as cluster bombs and bombs with "chemical contents".
We sincerely hope that this report will contribute to the awareness of all parties involved or concerned with the conflict in The Sudan, and to renewed efforts for the protection of the people of The Sudan, their rights and their dignity. We hope as well, that the Sudanese Government brings to an end the systematic bombing of civilian populations and infrastructures by its Air Force.
Thierry Durand
Director of Operations
Médecins Sans Frontières - Geneva
Full Report(pdf.format)
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