Darfur rebel leader claims government militias ambushed UNAMID patrol
July 18, 2013 (PARIS) – Minni Minnawi, leader of a faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) accused the government’s militias in South Darfur of killing seven Tanzanian peacekeepers and urged an international investigation on the attack.
“The attack on the UNAMID patrol was perpetrated by the Janjaweed militias that we can indentify, and we are willing to cooperate with an international investigation team in this regard”, he said on Wednesday.
He stressed they can cooperate with this team or the UNAMID and provide it with information can help to indentify the authors of the attack on the Tanzanian troops.
The rebel leader went to say that these militias are now without resource as the government has no more financial means to fund them. So, they “dare now to carry out attacks” on UNAMID patrols or commit violent crimes and looting individuals inside Nyala, capital of South Darfur state.
On 13 July, unidentified gunmen ambushed a patrol of the African Union – United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) at 25 km west of the Mission’s site in Khor Abeche, which is at 75km from Nyala . Seven Tanzanian peacekeepers were killed and 17 others are injured.
The incident was largely condemned by the international community because it is one of the most severe attack on the hybrid mission. Khartoum was urged to swiftly investigate the attack and bring the culprits to justice.
However Minnawi said the government is not qualified to lead such investigation because it would seek to create a scapegoat to protect its armed groups that are involved in Darfur crimes and atrocities.
“We reject the participation of the government in this investigation because they will seek to hide evidence proving the Janjaweed’s involvement in this attack”, he said.
In a letter on 15 July to the American envoy who chairs the UN Security Council for July, the Sudanese ambassador to the United Nations Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman reiterated the accusation against the rebel group and said this attack aims to obstruct the efforts of the international community to bring peace in Darfur.
He further reiterated the Sudanese government demand to alert them of the movement of UNAMID patrols in order to provide the necessary protection to the mission military or civilian personnel.
In a briefing at the UN headquarters on Thursday, U.S. alternate representative for special political affairs in the U.S. mission, Jeffrey DeLaurentis, confirmed that Sudanese ambassador did meet them.
Osman outlined the points in his letter of 15 July and ” indicated that they would investigate and try to bring the perpetrators to justice”; DeLaurentis said.
(ST)