Four UN blue helmets die after landmine detonates in Abyei area of Sudan
| Publisher | UN News Service |
| Publication Date | 2 August 2011 |
| Cite as | UN News Service, Four UN blue helmets die after landmine detonates in Abyei area of Sudan, 2 August 2011, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4e3f8b7c2.html [accessed 8 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. |
Four United Nations peacekeepers serving in Sudan's troubled Abyei area were killed today and seven others were injured after a landmine detonated during a patrol, the UN reported.
The Ethiopian blue helmets, part of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), were on patrol in Mabok, southeast of the town of Abyei, when they were killed.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced sadness at the deaths.
"The Secretary-General expresses his deepest condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those killed, as well as to the Government of Ethiopia," the statement noted. "He also expresses his concern for the well-being of the seven other peacekeepers who were injured in the explosion."
More than 500 troops, all Ethiopian, have been deployed since the Security Council voted in June to establish UNISFA after north-south violence in Abyei and surrounding areas forced more than 100,000 people to flee their homes.
