UN-African Union Mission Condemns Killing of Peacekeeper in Darfur

By Dahee Nam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

KHARTOUM, Sudan – The joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur (UNAMID) condemned on Thursday the attack against the UN peacekeeping force in Darfur which killed one soldier and seriously wounded another.  The mission called it a “cowardly act of wanton violence.”
UN reports that the attacked contingent of 9 South African soldiers serving with the peacekeeping mission was securing a well near UNAMID camp in Kutum, which provides water to the peacekeepers and civilian population in the North Darfur area.  One male peacekeeper died after reaching the nearest camp, and a female soldier was seriously wounded and evacuated to el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province.
The assailants, who were in heavily armed vehicles, have not been identified yet.   "The attackers fled.  The wounded soldier is in a stable condition and we're trying to find out who did this and why.  Apparently nothing was taken.  The details were still very foggy," said UNAMID spokes person Kemal Saiki.

The mission claims that the assailants were targeting UN peacekeepers “who work tirelessly to alleviate the dire suffering of Darfurians.”  It stresses, “UNAMID peacekeepers are serving in Darfur in an effort to bring back and maintain peace in this beleaguered part of the Sudan and all parties are, once again, reminded that under international law any attack against peacekeepers constitutes a war crime.”

While attacks have been mounted against UNAMID forces in the past several months, eleven peacekeepers have been killed since the mission launched last December 31.

UNAMID, the hybrid operation of the  UN and the African Union, is supposed to secure the protection of the violent region. However, it is well short of its expected strength of 26,000, supposedly the largest UN peacekeeping force in the world.   Only little more than 11,000 military and police personnel have been deployed.  The mission is short of helicopters and other transportation equipment to patrol the vast region as well.

For more information, please see:

UN News Center - Darfur: UN-African Union mission deplores killing of peacekeeper – October 30, 2008

AFP - UN peacekeeper killed in Darfur attack – October 30, 2008

Reuters - Gunmen kill UN/AU peacekeeper in Sudan's Darfur – October 30, 2008

African Press Agency - AU strongly condemns killing of South African peacekeeper in Darfur – October 30, 2008