Suspected rebel shell-fire hit the capital of Sudan’s war-torn South Kordofan state on Tuesday, the opening day of the 2013 Cecafa Kagame Cup, local sources said.
AFP reports that residents said the shells hit Kadougli in the early afternoon, ahead of the first match in the Council for East and Central Africa Football Association (CECAFA) Kagame Club Cup.
“They are targeting that stadium,” a local resident said.
The venue was not hit and there were no reports of casualties as the opening game between Uganda’s Uganda Revenue Authority (URA FC) and home club Al Hilal Kadougli which ended 1-0 in favour of the Ugandan side went on as planned.
A separate source in Kadougli said several shells struck in different parts of the town and the Sudanese army retaliated.
Football fans inside the stadium heard both the shelling and the return barrage from the army, but kept on watching the game, the local resident said.
“It has become almost normal for the people of South Kordofan,” he said.
Insurgents from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-North (SPLA-N) admitted shelling Kadougli last Friday as they targeted a Sudanese military facility.
But some shells landed inside a United Nations peacekeeping base, killing one soldier and wounding two others. Residents said the base is near the CECAFA stadium.
AFP further reports that neither the rebels nor the army could be reached for comment.
The rebels, fighting since 2011 in South Kordofan, have periodically shelled Kadugli since late last year, causing some fatalities.
Kadugli is co-hosting the tournament with El Fasher, in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region.
It should be noted that most traditional clubs in the region opted out of the competition citing security fears. Tanzania’s Yanga FC, Simba SC and Kenya’s Tusker FC withdrew while Ethiopia’s St. George and Sudan’s El Hilal and El Merrick decided not to take part.
