UN chief condemns attack on peacekeepers in Darfur

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 17 — The Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon Wednesday strongly condemned the latest attack on peacekeepers in Darfur, which killed one South African peacekeeper and injured three others.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Ban “condemned in the strongest possible terms the latest attack on peacekeepers in Darfur, which occurred on 17 October when an unidentified armed group attacked an African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) patrol comprised of military, police and civilian personnel on the way to Hashaba, North Darfur”.

Ban urged the government of the Sudan to conduct a full investigation and to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice, said the statement.

The secretary-general expressed his condolences to the government of the Republic of South Africa, UNAMID and to the family of the fallen peacekeeper, it said.

According to a statement issued by the UNAMID, the incident occurred while a UNAMID convoy was on its way to Hashaba North to assess the situation following recent reports of violence in that area.

Since the initial deployment of UNAMID on Dec. 31, 2007, 43 peacekeepers have been killed as a result of hostile actions.