UNAMID recovers body of peacekeeper killed by floods in Darfur

September 5, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The African Union – United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) recovered the body of one of four Burkina Faso peacekeepers killed last August by recent floods in West Darfur state, the United Nations announced on Thursday .

“The African Union – United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) reports that one of its patrols has recovered the remains of one of the four peacekeepers reported missing following floods late last month”, said Farhan Haq, associate spokesperson for UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon.

On 25 August, six peacekeepers were swept away by powerful currents while escorting World Food Programme (WFP) trucks transporting humanitarian aid to affected civilians in Misterei, 50 kilometres south-west of Geneina.

“The incident occurred when the peacekeepers attempted to pull out their truck which was stuck in the mud of a river valley. A rescue team found two of the peacekeepers alive”, Haq added.

Sudanese under-secretary of foreign affairs Rahmatallah Mohamed Osman on 31 August confirmed the death of four Burkina Faso soldiers in West Darfur state, adding they had offered their condolences to the UNAMID.

There are about 800 Burkina Faso soldiers deployed since August 2009 in El-Geneina and Foro Baranga which is located at 300 kilometres from the capital of West Darfur state.

The recent floods in Sudan affected over 500,000 people in the whole country including Darfur where the UNAMID took over from the African Union Mission in the Sudan (AMIS) since the first January 2008.

(ST)