US condemns attack on UN peacekeepers in Darfur
April 21, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The United States has condemned an attack on the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) on Friday in which a Nigerian peacekeeper was shot dead and two others were injured.
The attack, which was carried out by unidentified assailants, occurred on the agency’s base near Muhajeria in East Darfur.
A statement issued by the US embassy in Khartoum on Sunday called on the Sudanese government and the Darfur Regional Authority (DRA) to conduct full and credible investigations into all attacks against UNAMID and to hold the perpetrators accountable.
“We are also gravely concerned about the reports of civilian casualties and deliberate targeting of civilians by militias in Muhajariya and Labado, and we call on all parties to the conflict to abide by international humanitarian law,” the statement said.
The towns of Labado and Muhajeriya have been the centre of an armed dispute between a faction of the rebel movement Sudan Liberation Army led by Minni Minnaw (SLA-MM) and the Sudanese armed forces (SAF). Both had been under rebel control for two weeks, but were recaptured by the SAF last week after rebel fighters withdrew.
Violence in the two towns has displaced an estimated 40,000 people, according to humanitarian agencies in the area.
The US said it was alarmed by reports that Sudanese authorities have prevented humanitarian assistance from reaching internally displaced persons, and also expressed concerns that militias were deliberately targeting civilians seeking protection at UNAMID bases in the area.
It called on the Sudanese government to allow UNAMID and humanitarian agencies “immediate and unhindered” access to conflict-affected areas, in accordance with its obligations under the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur.
“The increasing insecurity and population displacement in Darfur is deeply concerning. We call on the government of Sudan and all rebel movements in Darfur to engage in negotiations for a cessation of hostilities and a political solution to the conflict”, the statement said.
UNAMID said the attack constituted a crime under international law and is currently investigating the events surrounding the incident.
The attack has also been condemned by both the UN Security Council and the UN’s secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon, who said he was “appalled and saddened” by the fatal shooting.
Radio Dabanga, citing local agency sources, reported that virtually all of Muhajeriya’s 35,000 residents had fled the violence.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says about 18,000 people from Muhajeriya are sheltering near the UNAMID base located outside the town, while another 15,000 have sought refuge near the mission’s Labado site.
The rebel movement has been highly critical of UNAMID’s role in the conflict, saying it had not done enough to protect civilian lives.
There are allegations that pro-government militia targeted civilians and carried out rape and torture after recapturing both towns last week.
Friday’s attack on UNAMID’s Muhajeriya base brings the number of peacekeepers killed in Darfur to 44 soldiers.
Last October, four Nigerian soldiers were killed in West Darfur state.
The joint mission has been deployed in Darfur since December 2007 has now 20,852 uniformed personnel on the ground, mostly from African countries.
War broke out in Darfur in 2003 when rebels launched an insurgency against the Sudanese government, accusing Khartoum of neglecting and marginalising its ethnic minorities. Renewed hostilities since the start of this year has forced more than 130,000 people to flee their homes, the UN said.
(ST)