Sudanese government bombs have hit a primary school and a busy market place in Darfur, killing at least 13 people, including seven children, two aid organisations said today.
The Sudanese army was not immediately available to comment but has repeatedly denied bombing in the area, which would be a violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution banning all offensive flying.
The aid groups said a government Antonov plane bombed the village of Shegeg Karo in North Darfur on Sunday. If confirmed, it would be the deadliest bombing raid in Darfur in years.
"According to information gathered by the villagers of Shegeg Karo, the Antonov hovered for a long time and then bombed repeatedly," a joint statement from Darfur Diaries and the Darfur Peace and Development Organisation said.
"The Shegeg Karo school was hit and one classroom was destroyed. It was in session," it added. The youngest child to die was 5-year-old Yusuf Adam Hamid. It said two other children were seriously wounded and 30 more lightly wounded.
Both organisations fund the primary school of 238 students.
The groups said the market was also hit with six people reported killed and 20 shops destroyed. They said it was unclear how many people were wounded at the market place. Hundreds of women usually gather there on market day.
The US special envoy to Sudan, Richard Williamson, said in Norway where he was attending a Sudan donors conference that the reports were "extremely troubling and unacceptable."
"It is a big concern because if past history is an indication, many of those casualties will be innocent civilians and there will be more people having to flee their homes in an area where already 2.5 million have had to flee because of violence," he said.
Last week, a joint UN/African Union peacekeeping mission confirmed rebel reports of bombing in North Darfur in spite of government denials.
Today, UNAMID force commander Martin Luther Agwai issued a statement expressing deep concern at the "rising toll of civilian deaths and casualties as a result of the recent bombing of villages in Darfur."
It called the reported bombing raids: "unacceptable acts against civilians, compounding the extent of displacement, insecurity and untold human suffering."
UNAMID said it was mobilising its helicopters to evacuate the injured.
Darfur rebels said three other areas were bombed on Sunday. Ein Sirro and Jabel Medop in North Darfur and an area in West Darfur near rebel-held Jabel Moun. There were no reports of casualties.
International experts estimate some 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million been driven from their homes in five years of revolt in Darfur. Khartoum blames the Western media for exaggerating the conflict and puts the death toll at 10,000.