UN peacekeeper killed and 23 injured in Darfur

Dozens of gunmen in jeeps ambushed UN-African Union peacekeepers in the Darfur region, killing at least one and wounding 23 others, a UN spokeswoman said.

Thu, 10 Jul, 2008 - 01:00

At least six of the wounded were in critical condition and six others were missing, said Shereen Zorba, deputy spokeswoman of the UN-AU mission known as UNAMID. She said an earlier report by Sudan’s state news agency that five peacekeepers were killed was incorrect.

The gunmen attacked the peacekeepers in an area called Umm Hagiba, about 96kms from UNAMID’s camp in northern Darfur. The attackers were driving 40 SUVs mounted with machine guns when they opened fire, Zorba said.

The peacekeepers fired back, she said.

“We are outraged by the attack,” Zorba said. “We are not part of the conflict, but a tool to alleviate the suffering of civilians. We try to establish some level of peace and security on the ground. But to drag us in to be part of the conflict is unjustifiable.”

The joint United Nations-AU force took over peacekeeping duties in the remote western Darfur region in December with about 9,000 soldiers and police officers.

It is authorised to have 26,000 members, but has contended with chronic shortages of staff and equipment and less-than-adequate cooperation from the Sudanese government.

The peacekeeping force has been unable to persuade the US and other governments to supply attack and transport helicopters, surveillance aircraft, military engineers and logistical support it needs to safely navigate Sudan’s Darfur region.

Last month, four UN-AU staffers were assaulted and held at gunpoint in Darfur.

One of the staffers was stripped of his belongings, kidnapped briefly and then released by Arab militiamen on horseback, according to a statement from the joint force.

In May, an Ugandan officer was found fatally shot in a vehicle operated by the UNAMID force in North Darfur — the first UN-AU peacekeeper killed since the mission deployed in January. UNAMID had described the killing as “an act of cold blooded murder.”