FROM: Sudan Infonet The following two messages provide information on the humanitarian crisis continuing to unfold in Bahr el Ghazal province in southern Sudan. They have come to Sudan Infonet from the New Sudan Council of Churches. Regards, SI Administrator __________________ DATE: 2/26/98 2:34 AM Re: PRESS RELEASE (Media and Advocacy Desk) New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC) From: "NEW SUDAN COUNCIL OF CHURCHES" PRESS RELEASE 20 MASSACRED IN WAU TOWN NAIROBI, February 25th, 1998: While we welcome the decision of the Government of Sudan (GOS) to lift its flight ban to Bahr el Ghazal, we still appeal to the international community to continue with the diplomatic pressure against Khartoum in order to bring about a comprehensive and lasting peace in Sudan. We are deeply concerned with reports that the pro-government Fertit militia systematically slaughtered several unarmed civilians in their huts. According to church and relief agencies officials in Khartoum, 20 people, including women and children, were massacred on 4th February when a group of armed Fertit militia went on a rampage in one of the suburbs in Wau town, which was mainly occupied by the Dinkas. The aid agencies spoke of properties being looted and houses burnt. While the number of those killed by the militia have not be authenticated due to the tight security situation in the town, it is important to remark here that the killings followed a major SPLA attack on Wau town, which led to the temporary capture of strategic locations in and around the town by the rebels. People who fled from the town before government troops re-took the strategic areas such as the Wau airport from the SPLA soldiers confirmed the report of the massacre on 23rd February. The displaced people said many people were burnt in their houses when Fertit militia attacked the residential area at about 5. A.m. in the morning. Although the Fertit and the Dinkas have had clashes in the early years of the liberation struggle, this recent spate of massacre is seen by many people as a well orchestrated punishment against unarmed Dinka for the defection of Commander Kerubino, a Dinka, to the SPLA and the SPLA attempted capture of Wau town on 28th February. The displaced people spoke of a campaign of terror and a mop up operations against suspected SPLA supporters and that several police, prisons and wildlife officers, most of whom are Southerners, have been arrested. Our sources speak of "ghost houses" filled with men and women, and that some of them may not survive the methods used by the soldiers to extract information from the suspects. The use of militia against civilians, and the use of brutal methods for extracting information from the suspects is unacceptable and should be condemned by all civilised societies. We call on the GOS to release prisoners detained unless they are to be charged with a recognisably criminal offence and brought promptly to a fair trial. But above all, we appeal to all our partners to lobby their governments to pressure the Government of Sudan to allow a human rights group to verify the above reports. Without international pressure, the GOS will continue with its scorch-earthed policy against Southern Sudanese civilians in Wau town. _________________________ FROM: INTERNET:nscc-nbo@maf.org, Subject: Northern Bahr el Ghazal Emergency Sitrep # 6 Below is the text of Northern Bahr el Ghazal Emergency Sitrep # 6 which we hope you find helpful. ---------------------- 24 February 1998 NORTHERN BAHR EL GHAZAL EMERGENCY SITREP #6 1. FLIGHT CLEARANCES/GENERAL SITUATION The flight suspensions into Bahr el Ghazal continue preventing relief support by air. Road convoys have arrived however, delivering some 120mt of sorghum to a targeted 51,000 people. Another 280mt is still in transit. The food, supplied by WFP, will support 51,000 people for about six days. The lack of supplementary feeding rations, bedding, cooking pots, water containers, blankets and mosquito netting is still an issue. 2. HEALTH In Acumcum, there are four patients waiting to be evacuated for medical care at Lopiding Hospital, northern Kenya. Consultations have increased to 145, including 11 diarrhoea cases. Malnutrition rates among the children have risen to 40% of children brought in for consultations. In Mapel, 20% of the 85 consultations done on 21 February registered serious malnutrition. In Thiek Thou, the condition of children is reported to be very bad and the OLS team on ground has requested urgent supplementary food. In Panthou, 107 consultations were done, with 8 registered diarrhoea cases. 3. TRUCKING OPPORTUNITIES A truck carrying 16mt of supplementary food and assorted non-food items is in transit to Mapel. Following shortly, are 4,500 family survival kits supplied by World Vision International (WVI). An additional 1,000 WVI family survival kits left from Nairobi on 21 February. Eight metric tonnes of supplementary food and two buffalo loads of supplementary food/non-food items will be flown to Aura and Yambio respectively for immediate road transport to Bahr el Ghazal. For Further Information Contact: Gillian Wilcox, UNICEF/OLS Tel 622403 and Christy Dow Murray, UNICEF/OLS, Tel 622410 - - - - - - - - - - - Distributed by Sudan Infonet An Information Service of the Sudan Working Group--USA SudanInfonet@compuserve.com 2/27/98 9:11 AM