9 July 2008
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned a deadly attack on the joint United Nations-African Union force in Darfur that killed seven peacekeepers and wounded twenty-two, seven of them critically.
The attack on the peacekeeping mission, known as UNAMID, occurred yesterday at approximately 2:45 pm local time, when a joint police and military patrol was ambushed by unidentified militia between Gusa Jamat and Wadah in North Darfur.
The attackers used heavy weapons and engaged the UNAMID convoy in an exchange of fire for more than two hours.
"The Secretary-General condemns in the strongest possible terms this unacceptable act of extreme violence against AU-UN peacekeepers in Darfur and calls on the Government of Sudan to do its utmost to ensure that the perpetrators are swiftly identified and brought to justice," his spokesperson said in a statement.
Mr. Ban also expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the peacekeepers who lost their lives.
UNAMID has been in place since the beginning of this year to try to end the conflict that has raged in the Western Sudanese region since 2003, pitting rebels against Government forces and allied Arab militiamen, known as the Janjaweed.
An estimated 300,000 people have died, either through direct combat or because of disease, malnutrition or reduced life expectancy, over the past five years in Darfur. Some 2.7 million people are now displaced, with many living across the border in eastern Chad.
Mr. Ban "calls on all parties to respect their agreements, to redouble their efforts to ensure the safety and integrity of the peacekeeping force and reach a comprehensive settlement to the crisis in Darfur as soon as possible," the statement added.
He also reiterated his appeal to Member States to provide all necessary support to UNAMID, which currently has around 10,000 troops and police officers on the ground in Darfur, still far short of the expected total of about 26,000 when the mission reaches full deployment. It is also lacking key capacities in air transport, particularly helicopters.
Yesterday's attack follows an incident just last month in which a UN staff member was abducted by armed Arab militiamen in West Darfur, and then assaulted and stripped of his belongings before eventually being released. Also in West Darfur, four UNAMID peacekeepers were ambushed by a group of 60 armed men in May.
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The killing of AU/UN forces in Darfur is regretable and should be universally condemned. I have always felt that Darfur, Sudan should always be the main headline of this website, but alas it is not. What the headline has been again and again ...and again is Zimbabwe. Some have alluded to the fact that Zimbabwe has white anglo people who are more important than any issue in Africa, including the Darfur region - That is racism. Darfur, (despite repeatedly BBC show case of the bad rule in Zimbabwe) should be the number one priority in Africa and the international Community.
Please, stop blaming the Uk for helping us to solve our problems that are caused by idiots within us. See the role of that useless mbeki of South Africa in Zimbagwe and confirm or deny if we are not own sworn enemies. This Darfur thing is costing Nigeria in men and fiscal resources so far. About a month or two ago, 46 soldiers who were returning from Darfur perished in an auto accident.
I don't think it is wrong focusing on the situation in Zimbabwe. Theirs is a case of abnomalility. The triving issues in Zimbabwe are not as common as the cases of killing and attack on peacekeepers as it is today in Sudan. That is what journalism is all about; reportage of strange issues. So i dont subscribe to the unnamed author's idea that this site is overdoing it. Thanks, I appreciate Allafrica. Otebe
This crime is said to have been committed by the militia. Knowing fully that the principal backer and arms supplier for the militia is the US, the secretay-General is implored to appeal to the US to prevail on the militia to stop this and similar crimes in the Darfur so that peace can return to the Sudan. With several millions alredy killed in the Sudan as a rsult of the effort of the US to take control of the mineral resources of the Southen Sudan, the world should appeal to the US to allow Sudan to live in… [Read Full Text]