The United Nations joint peacekeeping mission in Darfur on Wednesday condemned the attack on its peacekeeping troops returning from an investigation mission in Sudan’s volatile region of Darfur that claimed several lives.
Seven peacekeepers were killed and 22 were wounded. The injured personnel were evacuated to Khartoum for treatment on Wednesday. No peacekeepers are missing, the UN said.
The Joint African Union (AU) UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) Special Representative Rodolphe Adada said the attack against the peacekeepers was totally “unacceptable”.
The AU recently approved the appointment of Burkina Faso’s former Foreign Minister Djibrill Bassole as the joint mediator for the Darfur peace process.
AU Commission President Jean Ping says the new mediator will seek a political and military solution to the crisis.
The joint UNAMID military and police patrol team was ambushed by unknown armed men in Um Hakibah village, 12 km west of Wadah and 100 km southeast of El Fasher, while on their way back to their camp in Shangil Tobaya from an investigation patrol.
Efforts to unite the Darfur rebel groups into a formal peace process have been slowed down by the frequent splits of the Darfur factions.
According to UNAMID, the perpetrators were on board 40 vehicles mounted with heavy machine guns, anti-aircraft and recoilless weapons.
During the attack, the team was engaged in heavy and sustained fire, which lasted for about three hours, resulting in the loss of lives and severe injuries.
“UNAMID joins the Secretary-General of the United Nations in condemning in the strongest terms the attack on its peacekeepers that took place on the evening of 8 July in North Darfur,” the envoy said.
The Hybrid Force, as the new team is known, was deployed to offer protection to the war-weary women and children of Darfur.
Adada said: “AU/UN peacekeepers are here to assist the people of Sudan and any attack on them is totally unacceptable.”
“I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families of the peacekeepers who lost their lives,” he added.
The Deputy Force Commander, Major General Karake Karenzi, has visited the troops and the scene of the incident to reassure them of UNAMID’s support and ascertain the circumstances behind the attack.
The Deputy Joint Special Representative General Henry Anyidoho also visited the wounded in UNAMID Level II Hospital in El Fasher before they were moved to Khartoum. Panapress .
