UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has condemned Wednesday’s attack on international peacekeepers in western Sudan, the United Nations reported on its website.
“The Secretary General condemns in the strongest possible terms the latest attack on peacekeepers in Darfur… on October 17 when an unidentified armed group attacked an African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (Unamid) patrol composed of military, police and civilian personnel on the way to Hashaba, North Darfur,” Ban’s spokesperson said in a statement.
“One South African peacekeeper was killed and three were wounded. The Secretary-General urges the Government of the Sudan to conduct a full investigation and to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice,” the spokesperson said as quoted on the UN website.
“The Secretary General expresses his condolences to the Government of the Republic of South Africa, Unamid and to the family of the fallen peacekeeper,” the spokesperson said.
Two weeks ago, four Nigerian servicemen were killed and nine were injured in an attack on a Unamid patrol in Darfur.
Over 35 Unamid employees have been killed by bandits in the region since 2007 when the world’s largest peacekeeping mission was deployed there.
Darfur has seen armed clashes between Sudan’s government and rebels since 2003. According to the UN, some 300,000 people have died in the conflict. The Sudanese government says a few thousand have been killed.
