Ambush in Sudan’s Darfur kills Senegal peacekeeper

Jan 8, 2006 (DAKAR) — Unidentified gunmen ambushed a Senegalese peacekeeping contingent in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region, killing one Senegalese soldier and wounding nine more, an army spokesman said Sunday.

The attack occurred Friday near the border with Chad, said Senegal army spokesman Lt. Col. Antoine Wardini.

The troops were traveling in a convoy between the towns of Tine and Kulbus “when they got ambushed,” Wardini said. “We fired back and the attackers pulled back and ran.”

Wardini said peacekeeping reinforcements had been sent from Kulbus to secure the area. It was not known who carried out the attack, but an investigation was ongoing, he said.

Senegal has about 500 troops in the nearly 7,000-strong African Union peacekeeping mission in Sudan’s western Darfur region.

The Darfur conflict began in February 2003 when rebel groups took up arms against the government, accusing it of neglect and repression of Sudanese of African origin.

The government is accused of supporting a counterinsurgency led by an Arab militia known as the Janjaweed, which has been blamed for widespread killing, rape and arson. The Sudanese government denies backing the Janjaweed.

The United Nations estimates that 180,000 people have died in the conflict, mainly through famine and disease. Several million more have fled their homes.

Tensions have also been rising between the governments of Chad and Sudan. Chad accuses Sudanese militia of launching cross-border attacks and alleges Sudan is backing Chadian rebels, while Sudan accuses Chad of supporting rebels in Darfur.

(AP/ST)