UN Security Council condemns Darfur attack

The UN Security Council Wednesday condemned an ambush by unidentified armed men that killed UNAMID peacekeepers in Sudanese region of Darfur.“The Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the October 2 ambush by unidentified armed men on a UNAMID patrol in El Geneina, West Darfur, in which four Nigerian peacekeepers were killed and eight injured,” said a statement issued by Council President, Gert Rosenthal, Guatemala Ambassador to the UN.The members of the Security Council extended their condolences to the families of the peacekeepers killed in the attack, as well as to the Government of Nigeria. They called on the Government of Sudan to swiftly investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.In a related development, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also condemned the incident and called on Sudan to conduct a full investigation into the attack to ensure that the perpetrators are “swiftly brought to justice.”“The Secretary-General is appalled and deeply saddened by the latest attack on peacekeepers in Darfur,” a statement issued Wednesday said.Ban also expressed his condolences to the Government of Nigeria and to the families of the fallen peacekeepers and UNAMID.The peacekeeping force, which numbers 23,500, has been deployed in Darfur since 2007 in an attempt to end hostilities between rebels and the Sudanese government. Rwanda has more than 3,200 soldiers in Darfur serving under the UNAMID, with Lt. Gen. Patrick Nyamvumba, as Force Commander.The Council reiterated its support for the UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur and called on all parties there to cooperate with it.

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UN Security Council condemns Darfur attack