Antinov planes and gunships kill and displace civilians in western Sudan (9/5/2003)

The plight of civilians in Darfur in western Sudan has recently worsened because of murderous assaults by the Sudanese army using Antinov planes and helicopter gunships. Since June, hundreds of people have been killed, injured or forced to flee from their homes in Kutum, Kornoy, Dissa, Ambro, Tina, Morny, Sirba, Sleiaa, Um-sayyal, Koringo, Hamra, Daya and other villages.

In the latest tragedy, on August 27, an Antinov plane dropped bombs on Habeela-kejengessy and nearby villages, situated south of Geneina town, killing more than 27 Massaleit and injuring more than 33. Most of the victims were women and children.

The names of female victims (including children) are as follows:

1. Saadya Abderhaman Arbab.

2. Saadya Mohamed Matar.

3. Majda Yagoub.

4. Tagwa Musa Bilal.

5. Fatima Adam Mohamed.

6. Halima Abdalla Adam.

7. Fatima Abdalla Yahya.

8. Zahra Abdalla Yahya.

9. Maimona Adam Abdelkrim.

10. Saieda Harran.

11. Zainab Adam Yousif.

12. Nada Abdelmajeed Mohamed Ali.

13. Weiam Abdelmajeed Mohamed Ali.

14. Halima Adam Abdalla.

15. Safaa Yagoub.

The names of male victims (including children) are as follows:

16. Mustafa Abderhaman Arbab.

17. Ibrahim Hassan.

18. Zahir Adam Mohamed.

19. Abdulkrim Adam Abdulkrim.

20. Abdelatif Abderhaman Ishag.

21. Ahmed Omer shuaib.

22. Abaker Haron Ismail.

23. Torbo Younis Hamdy.

24. Omer Adam Bahar.

25. Hamdan bahar Khiralla.

26. Ibn Abderhaman Nabi.

27. name not known yet.

The names of those injured in the attack are as follows:

1. Eida Ali Hussain.

2. Marwa Yagoub Ibrahim Hassan.

3. Safia Yagoub Ibrahim Hassan.

4. Rukya Soliman Ahmed.

5. Tayba Ishag Abaker.

6. Aisha Tajedin Abderhaman.

7. Hajja Ahmed Mohamed.

8. Um-alnas Siam.

9. Fatoma Mohamed Adam.

10. Fatima Mohamed Ali.

11. Rukya Osman Abod.

12. Mohamed Yousif Ali.

13. Abdalla Gamar Mohamed.

14. Yousif Adam Zakarya.

15. Ishag Al-tom Ibrahim.

16. Abdalla Ali Mustafa.

17. Mohamed Gamar Abdalla.

18. Mubarak Abdalla Mohamed.

19. Mohamed Haroun Ahmed.

20. Al-tayeb Abdelrahim Adam.

21. Siddiq Siyam Ibrahim.

22. Abdalla Algoni Eisa.

23. Abubakar Abderhaman Arbab.

24. Adam Abdalla Yahya Omer.

25. Omer Ibrahim Mohamed Abakar.

26. Habib Abubakar Mahmoud.

27. Gumaa Mohamed Ishag.

28. Mohamed Abdelmajeed Mohamed.

29. Gumaa Omer Mussa.

30. Mohamed Ibrahim Khamis.

31. Ayoub Adam Yagoub.

32. Dawod Adam Mohamed Al-Mergani.

33. Ishag Al-Tom Ibrahim.

The injured are receiving treatment in Omdruman Military Hospital. Two of the patients died and an old man lost a leg in the past several hours.

In response to the deteriorating situation, Massaleit students in universities in Khartoum and others issued a strong press release blaming the government. They also planned a demonstration but government security threatened them.

We urge the international community to press the Sudanese government to spare the lives of civilians caught in the fighting in western Sudan.