Another Rwandan peacekeeping officer in the troubled Sudanese western region of Darfur died last week, this was revealed Thursday by the spokesman of the Rwanda Defence Forces, Maj. Jill Rutaremara.

Lt. Munyegabe was a member of 55th Battalion deployed in Sector North under the United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID).

"The RDF Headquarters last week sent a message of condolences to the bereaved family of Lt. Munyengabe who passed away on May 1 at around 1630hrs in Darfur,” said the spokesman.

"He developed diabetes and since it was the first time, he went into a comma and died a short while later, Rutaremera added:

"The Late comrade joined the army on January 25, 1995. He is survived by a widow and two children,” he said. Burial arrangements are underway and the body is expected in the country today aboard Kenya airways. He will be buried at Kanombe Military Cemetery on Saturday May 10, at 4:00pm.

Lt. Munyengabe is the first RDF peacekeeper to die since the formation of UN-AU hybrid joint peacekeeping force. He is the tenth RDF peacekeeper to die in the war-torn Darfur since the troops were deployed there in August, 2004.

Others who have fallen in Darfur include Corporal Gafishi Ntirenganya who died on October 26, 2005 when an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) he was travelling in overturned near Tawila.

Corporal David Niyonsaba was the first Rwanda soldier to die while on an AU mission. He died in a Darfur hospital on October 20, 2005 after sustaining fatal injuries in a road accident in El Fasher, north of Darfur. He was followed by Lt. William Ntayomba, who died of electrocution.

Others include two soldiers who in August 2006, were killed in an ambush between El Fasher and El Nahud by one the Sudanese warring factions in Darfur.Private Cyprien Barakengera died of suspected malaria attack in mid February last year.

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