Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Memorial for five Rwandan UNAMID peacekeepers killed in North Darfur, western Sudan

Reading and reporting news of the slaying of peacekeepers in Darfur, western Sudan upsets me as much now as it did when the first peacekeeper departed from Sudan in a coffin. Sorry I lost count a few years ago, but I reckon the Sudan peacekeeper death toll might be nearing 80. Watch out when activists and the ICC's chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo target and speak out in the press against Sudan. Very few UN peacekeepers have perished in southern Sudan where every Tom, Dick and Harry carries a loaded gun.

Memorial for Five Rwandans Killed in Darfur

Photo: Memorial service for the five Rwandans killed in North Darfur. (Source: Rob Crilly)

Five Rwandan UNAMID peacekeepers were killed in North Darfur
Report from SRS - Sudan Radio Service , Monday, 7 December 2009:
[El Fashir] – Five Rwandan UNAMID peacekeepers were killed in North Darfur in two separate incidents on Friday and Saturday.

The peacekeepers were distributing water to internally displaced persons.

On Friday, three peacekeepers were shot dead after coming under fire in North Darfur. Their two colleagues were killed on Saturday in a government-controlled area, also in North Darfur.

Ali Hamati, from the UNAMID press office, spoke to SRS from Darfur on Sunday.

[Ali Hamati]: “Unfortunately, the last incident happened on Saturday, just a day after the Friday incident in Saraf Omra. The last incident happened in Shangel Tobaya in North Darfur, and the Rwandan soldiers who belonged to UNAMID were apparently helping to distribute water to the citizens when they were attacked by people dressed in traditional attire and underneath the attire they had guns. Two peacekeepers working with UNAMID from Rwanda died on the spot and another, who was wounded in the attack, died later on.”

The governor of North Darfur, Mohamed Osman Kibir, announced on Saturday that the men behind the attacks had been arrested and had been transferred to El-Fashir.

On Sunday, the Rwandan government accused the government of Sudan of being behind the attacks.
+ + + Rest In Peace + + +

UN report from NEW YORK, December 9, 2009/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Statement Attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General - excerpt:
The Secretary-General reiterates the commitment of the AU-UN mission to carry out its important work in Darfur. He notes the Government of Sudan’s rapid action to apprehend the alleged perpetrators and renews his call that those guilty of these cowardly attacks should be brought to justice immediately.

The Secretary-General expresses his condolences to the families of the peacekeepers who lost their lives and to the Government of Rwanda and reiterates his appreciation for their service and commitment to the search for peace in Darfur.
- - -

Postscript
Any attack on peacekeepers constitutes a war crime. For more details, click on Haskanita label here below.

North Darfur, western Sudan

Archived photo: An African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) peacekeeper looks out over North Darfur, western Sudan. (AFP/AMIS/File/Stuart Price)

North Darfur

Photo: UNAMID peacekeepers patrol in North Darfur, 12 October 2009. (UN Photo/Olivier Chassot)

Ex Darfur rebels detain men over peacekeeper killing

Reuters South Africa - ‎Dec 8, 2009‎
Two Rwandan members of the joint UN/African Union UNAMID peacekeeping mission inSudan's Darfur region were shot dead as they distributed water in a refugee ...
The Punch - AllAfrica.comall 316 news articles »



ICC Prosecutor Briefs Media on Sudan

See UN News Centre report Darfur crimes continue and Sudan still not cooperating with ICC – Prosecutor (also UN webcast Security Council meeting - 4 Dec. '09)

ICC Prosecutor Briefs Media on Sudan 04 December 2009

Photo: Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), speaks to reporters following his briefing to the Security Council on the situation in Sudan, 04 December 2009, United Nations, New York. (UN)

No comments: