Indian UN peacekeeper killed in South Sudan

Jan 26, 2007 (UNITED NATIONS) — An Indian U.N. peacekeeper in southern Sudan was killed and two wounded by unidentified attackers on Friday as they helped clear land mines, the United Nations said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the attack and demanded a swift investigation, spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters. Ban called on all Sudanese parties to cooperate fully with the inquiry, he said.

The peacekeepers, part of the U.N. Mission in Sudan, were escorting a mine clearance team near the southern town of Magwe when they were attacked, the United Nations said.

The U.N. mission, with about 10,300 troops and police, was sent into southern Sudan in March 2005.

It monitors a peace agreement ending a 21-year civil war in the south that is separate from the conflict still raging in Sudan’s western Darfur region.

The mission also helps train police and human rights workers and provides other services, including mine clearance assistance.

India had 2,606 soldiers, 28 police officers and 21 military observers in the Sudan mission as of the end of last year, according to the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping.

Ban also extended his condolences to the government of India and the family of the dead soldier, wishing the two wounded men a speedy recovery, Haq said.

(Reuters)