Amnesty accuses Sudan forces of war crimes

Cairo - Amnesty International said on Tuesday it has "definitely confirmed" that Sudanese government forces committed war crimes against civilians in the South Kordofan region.

The new report said Sudanese aircraft dropped more than 374 bombs on 60 locations under control of rebel group Sudan People's Liberation Army-North, which along with ground shelling killed at least 35 civilians between January and April 2015.

Amnesty said government forces bombed at least 26 health facilities since 2011, "some of which were clearly identified with flags and crosses on their roofs."

Additionally, the report said the group documented the use of cluster munitions at four sites in two separate locations. Cluster munitions explode haphazardly and are a threat to civilians.

The fighting in South Kordofan pits the Khartoum government against rebels from the SPLA-N, who were left on the northern side of the border in Sudan after South Sudan became independent in July 2011. The separation followed a peaceful independence vote guaranteed in a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war.

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crime allegations linked to the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region.