The refugee camp operated by Samaritan’s Purse in Yida, South Sudan, was bombed by the government of Sudan at approximately 3:20 p.m. local time on Thursday.
More than 23,000 people are living in the camp in the northernmost part of Unity State, after being displaced by fighting across the border in the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan State.
Four bombs are reported to have been dropped. One bomb fell on a schoolhouse, but thankfully it did not explode. Another hit the marketplace, and two others fell on the fringe of the camp.
All of Samaritan’s Purse staff have been accounted for and are safe. They have not been able to confirm any casualties among the refugees.
Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham, who visited the camp six days before the bombing, called for the world to take action in the immediate aftermath of the attack.
“I urge the United States and the international community to enforce a no-fly zone in the area to protect not only the innocent civilians there but also those who are trying to help them,” he said. “My prayer is that the world will not just sit by and watch and hope for the best like they did during Rwanda, where close to a million people were massacred. We need to make it clear to the government of Sudan that attacks on innocent people will not be tolerated.”
The bombing occurred as the United Nations agency UNMIS was delivering about 12 metric tons of food, about one day’s ration for the camp population. Workers were unloading a helicopter carrying the food aid for distribution by Samaritan’s Purse.
“We’re trying to help the refugees, to save their lives,” Graham said. “The Nuba people are once again facing the horror of brutal persecution. They are in urgent need of our prayers and support. They need churches standing with them, because this is an atrocity.”
