AU denounces SLA-Minawi’s obstruction against its flights in Darfur
Nov 27, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — The African Union mission in Sudan denounced repeated obstruction exerted by a former Darfur rebel group in South Darfur against the flights of the African peacekeeping force.
In a press statement, the AMIS Force Commander Major-General Luke Aprezi strongly condemned the restrictions on AMIS flights by the SLA Minawi Faction in the Muhajeria locality in South Darfur.
The Au force commander urged the leadership of the SLA/Minawi Faction in Muhajeria to reign in their combatants in order to ensure that these acts against AMIS flights are not repeated again “especially at this point when implementation of the DPA should be proceeding unhindered”.
According to the AU, on 24 November, 2006 a medical mission was urgently dispatched to Muhajeria to evacuate an AMIS military personnel who was seriously ill, but Minawi troops combatants prevented the flight from taking off claiming that they were not aware of its schedule before its landing. Due to the deteriorating state of the patient however, the flight was allowed to leave.
On November 26, two other AMIS flights met a similar fate when a Deputy Commander of the Minawi troops Faction unilaterally refused their departure from Muhajeria and only let them off after uncalled for lengthy heated discussions with the AMIS Group Site Commander of Muhajeria.
(ST)