Sudan's hidden war claims toll on human lives

[dArKeR]

The drone of the bomber's engines grew louder, sending Sudanese rebels hurrying between the mud houses below.

"Don't run -- hide!" ordered one of the guerrillas, and his comrades crouched behind boulders in a seemingly futile attempt to escape from the aircraft circling overhead.

A low whistling sound heralded the payload of bombs which smashed into an abandoned hut across the street. A pall of black smoke billowed into the sky and a feeling of relief coursed through onlookers spared from the blast.

The raid on the Sudanese side of the Chad-Sudan border town of Tine on Jan. 26 was a rare glimpse into the kind of attacks that aid workers say have forced tens of thousands of refugees to flee villages across western Sudan in recent months.

Women and children trekking across the frontier into Chad bring tales of similar bombings by Sudanese government planes and attacks by horse-riding "Janjaweed" militia, who they say are sent by the government to burn their villages.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/02/10/2003098209