February 21, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – A Sudanese army war plane mistakenly killed four civilians including children and women in South Darfur state on Thursday, a local official acknowledged.
The incident took place in Dreib Al Rieh, 31 klm southeast of Nyala, when an airplane chasing rebels launched a bomb in the market of the village instantly killing four people and wounding 10 others.
The deputy governor Abdel Karim Musa took part in the funerals of the four victims held in Nyala and asserted that the incident was a mistake, inconsistent with the government’s objective of providing security and safety to Darfur people.
He also further said that the government has decided to form a committee to investigate the accidental killing of the four civilians.
local officials say the rebels entered into the village and left it quickly after the airstrike.
Sudanese army is accused of repeatedly killing civilians in its air attacks on the rebel groups. However Thursday’s incident is one of the rare moments where the authorities admitted their responsibility.
Three historical rebel groups are fighting the government in Darfur ten years after the start of the conflict in February 2003.
The government signed a peace deal in July 2011 with the Liberation and Justice Movement gathering dissidents of these groups. Also another splinter group is holding talks with Khartoum in Doha.
(ST)