Gunmen Kill Blue Helmet Serving With UN-AU Mission In Darfur
Gunmen Kill Blue Helmet Serving With UN-AU Mission In
Darfur
New York, Apr 5 2011 6:10PM
A
peacekeeper serving with the joint United Nations-African
Union mission in Darfur was killed today after being
abducted by armed men following a firefight in the north of
the war-wracked Sudanese region.
The peacekeeping operation (UNAMID) reported that a group of armed men ambushed a mission patrol returning from the town of Fata Borno in North Darfur state.
The blue helmets returned fire, killing one of the attackers, but the attackers managed to carjack a UNAMID vehicle containing three peacekeepers.
Two of the UNAMID soldiers were later released by the gunmen, although both sustained injuries and one is in a serious condition. They have been taken to the nearby town of Kutum for medical treatment.
The third peacekeeper was found to have been killed, according to a press release issued by the mission.
UNAMID has more than
17,700 troops – part of over 23,000 military personnel –
on the ground in Darfur, a remote and arid region on
Sudan’s western flank that has been the subject of
fighting between Government forces, allied militia and
rebels since 2003.
Apr 5 2011
6:10PM
ENDS