Sudan denies targeting UNAMID peacekeepers in Darfur
July 17, 2010 (ADDIS ABABA) — Darfur’s joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force (UNAMID) said on Friday that they have exchanged fire with the Sudanese army but reported no casualties.
“A patrol in West Darfur has been the target of gunfire by the Sudanese armed forces. Our troops retaliated and got into an exchange of fire , but no casualties were reported” said a UNAMID official to Agence France-Presse (AFP) on condition of anonymity.
The UNAMID official said that the Sudanese armed forces said that this attack was a “misunderstanding” , and that their soldiers were training on the demolition of unexploded ordnance.
“This clarification is no different , but why did they not take precautions?” he added.
The Sudanese army spokesman Al-Sawarmi Khalid Sa’ad told AFP that a UNAMID patrol was heading from El- Geniena to Salea’a in West Darfur and near Galgala where the soldiers were destroying ammunition and when they heard the explosions they thought they were being fired at “but that wasn’t the case”.
“Elements from peacekeeping force opened fire later, but no one was injured and they continued on their way” Sa’ad added.
A similar incident occurred In January 2008, Sudan admitted that their forces responsible for an attack on a UN convoy in Darfur but insisted the peacekeepers were to blame for not announcing their route.
Violence has flared in Darfur in recent weeks with fighting between the Sudanese army and rebels from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).
UNAMID said this week the army had clashed with JEM fighters near the Adola mountains and near Kuma in north Darfur on Tuesday.
The under-equipped peacekeepers, who are supposed to cover an area the size of Spain, said they were also investigating reports of a third clash in Daba Tago, near the north Darfur settlement of Mellit.
On Friday, the Sudan armed Forces (SAF) held victory celebrations in North Darfur capital of El-Fasher over JEM fighters.
General Al-Tayeb al-Musbah Osman told the state news agency that the army killed at least 300 members of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement, captured another 86 and destroyed dozens of their vehicles.
He added in late Friday’s report that 75 Sudanese soldiers lost their lives.
JEM however, vehemently denied claims by the government.
(ST)
DASODIKO
Sudan denies targeting UNAMID peacekeepers in Darfur
Islamist governemnt in Khartoum killed three million in South South Sudan, 500,000 in Darfur and still killing and also denying that they have killed no body. Would you expect from them to admit that they are targeting UNAMID? What does the word targeting means? Since NCP intimidate UNAMID and restrict it moves, I think there is no targeting more than this, as long as UNAMID has a mandate to roam all war ravaged Darfur.