UN-AU, Sudan discuss additional security measures in Darfur
May 28, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — A joint police team of the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU) has discussed with the Sudanese police additional security measures in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) said on Monday.
The discussion was held Sunday in Fashir, capital of North Darfur State, where an UNMIS military officer was killed on Friday, the UNMIS said in a statement.
The local police chief for Darfur North expressed willingness to cooperate with the UN and the AU, according to the statement.
It added that a UNMIS force commander visited Fashir Sunday to express support to UNMIS military colleagues serving there under the Light Support Package from the UN for the AU peacekeeping force in Darfur.
Lieutenant Colonel Ihab Ahmad, an Egyptian officer serving in Darfur under the Light Support Package, died early Saturday of wounds sustained during an armed robbery late Friday.
About 11:30 p.m. local time (2030 GMT) on Friday, three armed men wearing civilian clothes broke into the private house shared by Ahmad and seven other UNMIS staff.
After taking money and valuables from the other occupants of the house, the armed men moved to the victim’s room and demanded money from him. Ahmad gave them all the money he had, but the attackers then shot him.
He was rushed to the Level II Hospital of the AU peacekeeping force in Fashir, where he was pronounced dead at about 01:00 a.m. (2200 GMT on Friday) on Saturday.
The UNMIS unequivocally condemned the killing, saying that it will cooperate with the Sudanese authorities to apprehend the killers of Ahmad and hold them accountable.
It added that urgent measures were being taken in coordination with the Sudanese authorities to prevent further attacks of this nature from taking place.
(Xinhua)