Suspected Janjaweed militia have ambushed the beleaguered United Nations mission in Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region, with one peacekeeper confirmed dead and another six missing, an official said on Wednesday.
The attackers ambushed the UN convoy on Tuesday at Um Hakibah in North Darfur State, south-west of the peacekeeping mission’s headquarters in El Fasher, said the UN official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“One is confirmed dead and six are missing. The location of the incident is Um Hakibah, 100km from Shangil Tobayi,” the official said.
An unknown number of people have been flown back for medical treatment in El Fasher, the official added.
The peacekeepers were attacked while returning from following up allegations by the Mini Minnawi faction of the Sudan Liberation Army, which signed a 2006 peace deal with the Khartoum government, that two of the former rebels had been killed.
“It looks like it was a big attack. They were taken on by what sounds like a very large force,” said the official. — AFP