UN peacekeepers in Darfur ambushed
Derek Kilner Wednesday 9th July, 2008
At least seven soldiers from the joint UN - African Union peacekeeping force in the Darfur region of western Sudan are dead after gunmen ambushed a patrol.
A UN spokesperson said about 22 peacekeepers were also injured in the ambush.
The attack took occurred in Um Haqiba, in North Darfur. According to UN officials, there have been recent disputes in the area between Arab militias and forces loyal to Minni Minnawi, a former rebel leader who joined the government after signing a 2006 peace agreement.
At least 40 vehicles were involved in the attack.
The incident is the latest in a series of attacks on the peacekeeping force, since it took over from an African Union mission in January. A patrol was ambushed by gunmen in May, and in June a Ugandan peacekeeper was killed.
Hafiz Mohammed, who leads the Sudan program at Justice Africa in London, says the latest attack reflects the deteriorating security situation on the ground.
'The situation is very bad. Instead of actually protecting the civilians, they will end up not able even to protect themselves. It's sad to see this happening. It's going to discourage countries to contribute to the unit, which is creating problems,' said Mohammed.
Page 1 of 3 | Next
Comments
No comments yet for this story