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.

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.