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Contact: Jonathan Hutson, [email protected], +1 202-386-1618
WASHINGTON – New photos provide evidence of the deliberate destruction by Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) of Banton Bridge, Abyei town's primarily link with Southern Sudan. Abyei is currently being occupied by the SAF and northern-aligned armed militias.
The exclusive photos, obtained by the Enough Project, show the demolished bridge fallen into the Kiir River, which will soon swell with the onset of the rainy season. The photos were taken on Sunday, May 29.
“As further evidence of state-sponsored ethnic cleansing, the Sudan Armed Forces' demolition of the primary link between Abyei town and Southern Sudan will only make it harder for tens of thousands of people who have fled indiscriminate bombardment and organized ransacking and razing in Abyei to safely return,” said Enough Project Co-founder John Prendergast. “Sudanse government forces are poised next to push Southern Sudanese troops out of Blue Nile and the Nuba Mountains. Along with the military occupation of Abyei, the Khartoum regime is laying the groundwork for a takeover of oil fields near Sudan's North-South border, its ultimate objective. If there are no consequences for these violations of the North-South peace deal and for the war crimes being committed in Abyei, the likelihood of full-scale war increases daily."