Just days before South Sudan became an independent country on July 9th, 2011, the world’s media descended on Juba, as it prepared to become the world’s newest capital. Scenes of jubilation, traditional tribal dances, and smiles and songs were beamed around the world.
But just across the new border to the north, there were very different scenes playing out in the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan, a troubled state in Sudan. While bombers and fighter jets rained terror and death from the sky, and ground troops from the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) held the state capital, Kadugli, terrible reports were emerging. Reports of house to house searches, arbitrary arrests and abductions of civilians, discrimination and violence meted out based solely on ethnicity and skin colour, and worse. There were stories of killings, many killings, and possibly even mass graves.
There had been widespread expectations of renewed fighting once the Republic Of South Sudan declared its independence on July 9th. South Kordofan provided some of the toughest fighters of the long and bitter civil war that led to the creation of South Sudan, but they were left out of the final settlement. President of Sudan Omar Al-Bashir decided to steal a march on South Kordofan and launched his attack on June 5th. The people of Nuba, and more importantly, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M), were caught totally by surprise.
Getting in to Nuba is not easy. The Sudanese Government has said it will shoot down any humanitarian flights entering its airspace, and has bombed the airstrip that had been used up to June 5th.
Landing on a secret airstrip in the bush in Nuba, an old SPLA/M landing site left over from previous fighting, the current war is evident in seconds. The few light aircraft that still risk the dangers to deliver much needed humanitarian aid are tempting targets for the bombers and fighter jets of Khartoum, and so the unloading is carried out in a frenzy. And the 4x4s that are waiting to be loaded are spread out, and hidden under trees. Most vehicles have been smeared with mud and engine oil in a crude but effective attempt at camouflage.
The huge craters and bombed out buildings bear testament to the threat of aerial bombardment. What is also evident is the haphazard way in which the bombing is being carried out. There are many unexploded bombs, as well as the remains of exploded munitions, that display a wide array of ordnance. It is almost as if Al-Bashir is cleaning out his cupboards of any and all bombs he can find, and dumping them indiscriminately on the people of Nuba.
The bombing itself is, according to locals, also an improvised affair. Russian built Antonov cargo planes have been pressed into service, and while they are flown with their rear cargo doors open, the bombs are simply rolled out of the planes. As a result, there is no possibility of targeted or accurate bombing. This has led to accusations that the bombing is being used as a weapon of terror against civilians rather than an attempt to target the SPLA/M.
In the one functioning hospital in Nuba, the civilian victims are treated by the last remaining international doctor, Tom Catena. While clearly brave and dedicated, there is only so much he can do. A girl lay in one bed, her left arm amputated by Dr. Catena after she was caught in a bombing. Although she had responded well initially to treatment, she had subsequently developed tetanus. There was nothing more that could be done for her.
The victims of the bombing seemed to be disproportionally children. While the adults know that in a bombardment the best defence is to lie flat on the ground with their head covered, the children panic and run, thus making larger targets for the flying shrapnel.
If this bombing is meant to break the spirit of the Nuban people, it doesn’t seem to be working. Commander of the SPLA/M in South Kordofan, Abdul Aziz Adam Al Hilu, is determined that this time the fight will continue until Al-Bashir is toppled, and a new, more inclusive government, rules Sudan. “We want a new a new Sudan,” he says, “built on new basis of justice, of equality, of freedom.”
And while the fighting continues, the Nuba people hide in caves and plant no crops. This war is just beginning, and already it is clear that there are serious questions to be answered in regard to the targeting of civilians, of war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
This feature was shot in July 2011.
Full edit of 21 images available.
