The United States has condemned a Sudanese government airstrike on a village in southern Sudan shortly after villagers gathered there Sunday to receive food from a U.N. agency.

In a statement Tuesday, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the attack violated the Khartoum government's pledge last month to U.S. special envoy John Danforth to end bombing of civilian targets for four weeks.

The statement said Sudanese aircraft dropped six bombs on a World Food Program emergency drop site in the southern state of Bahr al-Ghazal -- only three hours after relief planes had dropped supplies there. It said the casualties were civilians who had gone to the site to collect the food.

Mr. Boucher said what he called a "horrific and senseless attack" indicates the Khartoum government continues its pattern of deliberately targeting civilians and humanitarian operations.

Last month, with U.S. and Swiss diplomatic help, the Sudanese government and southern rebels signed a renewable six-month ceasefire accord, covering a stronghold in the Nuba mountains region of central Sudan. However, Mr. Boucher said the United States -- through the mission of former Senator Danforth -- was unable to arrange a broader accord to end attacks on civilians.

The World Food Program says it will protest the attack.

Sudan's civil war has continued since 1983 when the rebel Sudan People Liberation Army took up arms in a bid to seek more autonomy for the mainly Christian and animist south from the Muslim-dominated government in the north. The conflict and famine have claimed the lives of nearly two million people.

Some information for this report provided by AFP.

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