The Sudan Catholic Information Office said from Nairobi that Catholic Church sources in the Sudan reported that Khartoum government planes bombed the town of Tonj. It was the third bombing attack on Tonj in the past week. Tonj is located in the Bahr el-Ghazal region. The attacking aircraft were described as Antonov transports rigged as bombers. The nearby town of Mapel was also bombed. Meanwhile, AFP quoted a the Khartoum government as saying that "militia forces" would be mobilized to fight SPLA attacks in the south. AFP quoted a Khartoum newspaper as saying that The South Sudan Defense Forces (SSDF, a government-backed "Islamic" militia) would help Khartoum's military "defend the homeland."