UN, African Union officials condemn latest attack on Darfur peacekeepers
| Publisher | UN News Service |
| Publication Date | 25 November 2013 |
| Cite as | UN News Service, UN, African Union officials condemn latest attack on Darfur peacekeepers, 25 November 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/52946e5a4.html [accessed 2 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the head of the joint African Union-United Nations mission in Darfur have condemned an attack on Sunday in which one Rwandan peacekeeper was killed, and called on the Government of Sudan to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The peacekeeper was shot when the convoy belonging to the mission (UNAMID) came under attack by unidentified armed assailants on the road from Kabkabiya to Saraf Umra in North Darfur. He later succumbed to his injuries in the mission's hospital in Kabkabiya. One of the UNAMID vehicles was hijacked by the attackers.
"The Secretary-General condemns in the strongest terms this attack on UNAMID and expects the Government of Sudan to take swift action to bring the perpetrators of this and previous attacks on UNAMID to justice," his spokesperson said in a statement.
Mr. Ban also expressed his sincere condolences to the family of the fallen peacekeeper, and to the Government of Rwanda.
The latest death brings to 14 the number of UNAMID peacekeepers killed this year. It follows an attack last month in West Darfur that left three Senegalese peacekeepers dead.
"This was clearly a crime against humanity by desperate individuals," said Joint Special Representative Mohamed Ibn Chambas, who condemned the "deplorable" attack.
Mr. Chambas, who is the head of UNAMID, called on the Sudanese Government to act "decisively and quickly" in bringing those responsible to justice.
Established by the Security Council in 2007, UNAMID is in charge of, among other tasks, the protection of civilians and contributing to security for humanitarian assistance in Darfur, where fighting between rebel groups and Government forces and allied militia has led to the deaths of an estimated 300,000 people and displaced nearly two million over the past 10 years.
