Ambush by Sudanese militia kills UN troops
10/07/2008
Seven UN peacekeepers have been killed and nearly two dozen injured in a "well-planned" ambush in Sudan's troubled Darfur region.
The attack is the deadliest act of violence perpetrated against the joint UN-African Union force, UNAmid, since it was created last year.
It comes amid rising tensions in the war-torn and impoverished region, which continues to be wracked by violence between government-backed Arab militias and ethnic African tribesmen.
In the latest incident, around 200 gunmen - some riding horses and others in SUVs - swarmed on a joint police and military patrol located between Gusa Jamat and Wadah in north Darfur.
After raking the peacekeeping force with gunfire, the militants swiftly withdrew - leaving five Rwandan soldiers and two policeman from Ghana and Uganda dead, and a further 22 wounded.
The UN responded angrily to the attack, which analysts say bears the hallmarks of Sudan's notorious Janjaweed militia that is believed responsible for countless atrocities in Darfur.
A spokesman for UN chief Ban Ki-moon said: "The secretary general condemns in the strongest possible terms this unacceptable act of extreme violence against AU-UN peacekeepers in Darfur."
He reiterated a call on the Sudanese government to rein in Arab militias, urging it "to do its utmost to ensure that the perpetrators are swiftly identified and brought to justice".
UNAmid was created in July 2007 with a remit of protecting the two million-plus refugees in Darfur. One year after its inception, just 9,600 of the authorised 26,000-strong force have been deployed.
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