A leaked United Nations report brings to light the “egregious” acts of violence inflicted by the Sudanese army on civilians in South Kordofan, an area that borders the newly independent South Sudan, that has forced more than 70,000 people to flee.

Since earlier last month, there has been a surge in fighting between Sudanese Armed Forces and an ethnic Nuba militia aligned with Southern rebels. The 19-page report, completed last month, documents the particularly harsh attacks inflicted on the Nuba people, which include summary executions, attacks on churches, torture and bombings, the Agence France-Presse reports. Such acts could wipe out the entire Nuba population if not halted, the report states.

"The consequences of [the ongoing aerial] bombardments on the Nuban people and in particular civilians, including women and children, are devastating. They have resulted in significant loss of life, destruction of properties and massive displacement," it said, the service reports.

The report takes it a step further, saying the alleged attacks amount to more than just civil warfare.

"The acts described in this report, allegedly perpetrated by the SAF, PDF (Popular Defence Force), Central Reserve Police Forces and the Government Police in Southern Kordofan... if proven, may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity," it said.

A spokesman for the Sudanese army had no immediate comment. However government officials have in the past denied activists’ claims that the army is aiming to extinguish South Kordofan’s Nuba people. 

The U.N. report called on the agency’s Security Council to launch an official investigation.

(Photo: Darrin Zammit/Landov)