Senegalese soldiers wounded in Sudan’s Darfur

Nov 30, 2005 (DAKAR) — Four Senegalese soldiers of the African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission were seriously wounded in an ambush by armed Sudanese rebels in the Darfur region of western Sudan, the Senegalese official news agency reported on Wednesday.

The soldiers were on an escort mission when the attack took place. They were rescued by reinforcements who become involved in a fierce battle which saw the rebels repulsed to the border with Chad, according to the report.

At the request of the AU, 540 Senegalese peacekeeping soldiers were sent to the war-torn Darfur region in January.

In February 2003, the Sudanese Liberation Movement and Army, along with the rebel Justice and Equality Movement, launched a large-scale conflict amid accusations the Sudanese central government had failed to protect them from being attacked by Arab tribal militias.

Under the mediation of the AU, the Sudanese government reached ceasefire agreements with the two armed rebel groups on April 8, 2004, in N’djamena, the capital city of Chad. However, there has been widespread violations of the agreements.

The violence started by the rebels has led to over 180,000 deaths and forced another two million people to flee their homes in Darfur region.

(Xinhua)