October 11, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – Three peacekeepers serving with the African Union-United Nations Joint Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) were killed and six others injured when their patrol was attacked by unknown gunmen on Tuesday, according to the mission.

South African soldiers serving with the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur stand to attention (file/AFP)

UNAMID stated on Tuesday that the attack occurred at approximately 20:15 in Zam Zam internally displaced persons camp, some 10 km south of El Fasher, capital of North Darfur state.

"Three peacekeepers -two soldiers and one police advisor- were killed and six peacekeepers injured, three of them seriously. One assailant was also killed," the mission said.

The director of UNAMID’s communication and public information division, Kemal Saïki, told Sudan Tribune that the mission had no information or evidence on the identity of the assailants, pointing out that the attack occurred in the dead of the night.

Saiki further declined to reveal the nationalities of the victims, saying the mission is obliged to inform their countries first.

This incident has brought the number of UNAMID peacekeepers killed in Darfur since the mission deployed in 2007 to 33.

In August this year, one UNAMID peacekeeper was killed and another seriously injured in South Darfur. Three peacekeepers were also killed in an attack in western Darfur in June last year.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and UNAMID chief Ibrahim Gambari "strongly condemned" the attack and extended to the families of the victims their "deepest sympathy". They also urged the Sudanese government to" investigate the incident and to bring to justice the perpetrators as soon as possible".

"An attack on international peacekeepers is a war crime and we will ensure that justice will be served. This deplorable incident will not deter UNAMID’s strong commitment to its mission to protect the people of Darfur," Gambari further added.

The security situation in Sudan’s western region of Darfur remains precarious due to the proliferation of arms and despite a peace agreement signed between the government and one of the region’s rebel groups in mid-July of this year.

MINNI MINNAWI CONDEMNS THE ATTACK

The Sudan Liberation Movement led by Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) denied quickly any responsibility in the death of the three peacekeepers to distance itself from any accusations by the government.

"The Sudan Liberation Movement led by the leader Minni Arko Minawi condemns the assault on the soldiers of the UNAMID," said a statement released by the group Tuesday.

"The movement confirms it has always been against any attack of the peacekeeping force operating in Darfur," the group emphasized.

Zam Zam camp is one of the camps inhabited mainly by a branch of Zagawa tribe, the ethnic group of Minni Minnawi. He was the only rebel leader to sign a peace agreement with the government in May 2006. But the SPLM-MM resumed hostilities with the government in December 2010.

After the signing of Abuja peace agreement government forces and the former rebels clashed several times over the control of the camp.

In January 2011 Minnawi’s fighters clashed with the government army in the camp, after he rejoined the rebellion. The rebel leader said his troops were defending civilians attacked by the Sudanese Armed Forces.

Minnawi fighters clashed after the signing of the peace agreement with Nigerian troops of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AUMIS) several times up to May 2007. However they did not fight against UNAMID since its deployment in January 2008.

THe Darfur conflict, which erupted in 2003, has killed more than 300,000 people and displaced more than 2.7 million, according to UN agencies.

(ST)