South Sudan: RNW correspondent under fire
Fresh fighting broke out on Sunday at the frontline between the armies of Sudan and South Sudan. Just when an RNW correspondent visited South Sudanese troops at their positions in Panakuac, Sudanese helicopter gunships attacked.
By Arne Doornebal, Panakuac
The men are in a jolly mood. James Gatduel Gatluak, commander of South Sudan’s fourth division, prepares himself to give an interview to four foreign journalists when dozens of troops suddenly run to take positions. “Mig!” they shout, referring to the military airplane used by the Sudanese Armed Forces. Men run for their weapons. We scramble together in a trench in the ground, as hell breaks loose.
We don’t see the helicopter gunships, but from its position just above the tree, it starts firing indiscriminately in our direction. SPLA soldiers run to large machine-guns mounted on pick-up trucks. They return fire. Then mortar fire starts in both directions, though in the chaos it proves hard to distinguish between incoming and outgoing fire. Shots and explosions sound from every direction as the Sudanese army and the SPLA are only three kilometers apart. After ten minutes we use a lull in fighting to run to our car and speed off, as an
Read more: http://www.rnw.nl/africa/article/south-sudan-rnw-correspondent-under-fire
Category: South Sudan News
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