Khartoum halts aid flights to south

The flight ban threatens three million people dependant on aid

By Andrew Harding BBC correspondent in Nairobi, Kenya

Humanitarian flights into southern Sudan are to be banned for the next nine days as fighting in the region escalates.

The United Nations says it is very concerned about the ban, imposed by the Sudanese Government.

Some three million people are dependent on international food aid in the region, which has been ravaged by a 19-year-long civil war.

This is highly unusual, and for many aid organisations, very worrying.

The rebels' capture of town halted peace talks

The Sudanese Government¿s action will cut off almost the entire south of the country, preventing humanitarian flights from getting in, and also potentially blocking the evacuation of foreign staff from the war zone.

Martin Dawes, a spokesman for the United Nations umbrella organisation Operation Lifeline Sudan, said the UN was extremely concerned and was seeking clarification from the Sudanese government.

The flight ban applies to two huge regions in the far south.

One of them, Eastern Equatoria, is experiencing very heavy fighting at the moment, but the other is peaceful.

Aid flights from neighbouring Kenya carrying about 150 tonnes of food a day will be grounded.

New offensive?

The context to all this is the breakdown of peace talks earlier this month.

The government pulled out of negotiations after the SPLA rebels captured a key town in Eastern Equatoria.

The Sudanese government has vowed to recapture that town, called Torit, but it appears to be having difficulties.

The SPLA says it shot down a government helicopter on Tuesday.

The flight ban could be an indication that the government is about to launch a major new offensive.

According to humanitarian sources, the Sudanese authorities have said they can no longer guarantee the safety of aid personnel in that area.

Access denied

Operation Lifeline Sudan is the UN's longest running emergency aid programme, air-lifting supplies to millions of people trapped in the country's long civil war.

Humanitarian access is co-ordinated on a monthly basis by the UN, the rebels and the government.

Critics say the Sudanese government uses and abuses the system as an instrument of war by denying access to certain areas in order to starve both rebels and civilians.