News Article by DPA posted on September 26, 2002 at 15:50:10: EST (-5 GMT)
Attacks feared as Khartoum bans aid flights from south
Nairobi, Sep 26, 2002 (dpa) -- The Sudanese government on Thursday banned aid agencies from flying across a wide swathe of territory in the south of the country, prompting speculation that it is about to launch a major military offensive against the southern-based rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army.
The government in Khartoum ordered humanitarian agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross not to fly across Eastern and Western Equatoria provinces, aid agency officials told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
The ban, which begins Friday and is indefinite, effectively halts the massive United Nations-led aid operation that sends dozens of flights daily into south Sudan from a base in northwestern Kenya.
Humanitarian agencies on Thursday rushed to evacuate as many of their international staff as possible from southern Sudan to Kenya.
The war between Sudan's government and the southern-based rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army has intensified in recent weeks. Khartoum broke off peace talks in early September after the rebels captured the strategic town of Torit.
Sudan is on the United States list of terrorism sponsors but the U.S. has shown increased effort in recent months to try to bring an end to the war and has re-opened some diplomatic contact with Khartoum.
A Ugandan army spokesman meanwhile said a Sudanese plane had bombed a Ugandan detachment at Palotaka in southern Sudan, injuring three people.
Army spokesman major Shaban Bantariza confirmed the incident which he said took place on Tuesday. The plane involved had been an Antonov which dropped three bombs directly on the Ugandan troops.
The Ugandan defence ministry was in contact with its Sudanese counterpart to
find out what happened. Uganda has often accused Sudan of aiding Lord's
Resistance Army (LRA) rebels, while Sudan accuses Uganda of backing the
SPLA.