Brussels, 19/06/2014 (Agence Europe) - Distressed by the bombing of a hospital in Sudan, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Kristalina Georgieva responded strongly on Wednesday, calling on all the parties to respect international humanitarian law.
“I am deeply disturbed by the bombing and partial destruction of a hospital during an aerial attack on the Sudanese village of Farandalla on 16 June. Two bombs hit the hospital, which is run by the international medical humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières in South Kordofan. Five people were wounded in the attack on the village and an MSF staff member was injured at the hospital. It is unacceptable that a hospital, clearly identified with a flag and a cross on its roof, is attacked in this manner. According to MSF several other medical facilities have been bombed in South Kordofan in recent weeks. Attacks on medical services by armed forces is a crime under international law”, Georgieva stated.
With the Sudanese authorities denying responsibility, Georgieva urged “the Sudanese government to immediately investigate the circumstances and establish who was responsible”. She stated that it is “vital that all parties to the conflict in South Kordofan as well as Blue Nile and Darfur respect their obligations under international humanitarian law”. (AN)