Sudan rejects UN blame over deadly attacks in South Darfur

April 28, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – United Nations secretary-general said “deeply concerned” about the “limited cooperation” of Sudanese government to address the recent attacks on Nigerian peacekeepers in South Darfur but Khartoum said rejected the blame.

On 23 and 24 April, a force of the African Union United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) was attacked twice by armed men in Kass, 85 kilometres north-west of Nyala, South Darfur. According to the joint four assailants were killed and six Nigerian troops were injured. But Sudanese authorities say six Zaghawa tribesmen were killed.

Since last week the hybrid mission said its troops returned fire in a legitimate defence and in an “appropriate and proportional” response. But the Sudanese foreign ministry said UNAMID’s account is devoid of facts and realities and called on the joint operation to respect the Sudanese laws or else it will “take steps it deems appropriate” to protect its citizens.

Ban Ki-moon in a statement issued on Monday condemned the two attacks on the peacekeepers adding he is “deeply concerned about the recent increase in attacks on (UNAMID) peacekeepers”

“The Secretary-General urges the Government of Sudan to ensure that the perpetrators are swiftly brought to justice and take all necessary action to avoid further attacks on or threats against peacekeepers in Darfur,” further said the statement .

In a similar statement of support to the UNAMID, The chairperson of the Commission of the African Union , Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, said “deeply concerned by the deadly incidents” in Kass and called for a transparent and fair probe.

CATEGORICAL REJECTION

However the Sudanese government on Tuesday released through its mission to the United Nation a categorical rejection of the “hasty and heavy-handed” statement issued by the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General.

The UNAMID statement confirmed its involvement in the killing of innocent civilians who were in panic to recover stolen cattle, further said the Sudanese mission, according to the official news agency SUNA.

“With regard to what the (UN) statement called lack of cooperation by the Government of Sudan, the irony that it is the Sudanese army which intervened, contained the situation, recovered the vehicle hijacked and handed it over to UNAMID,” the statement said.

The UN spokesperson in his statement also spoke about a Sudanese government denial of a flight request to evacuate an Ethiopian peacekeeper injured in Mujkar in West Darfur.

He said the peacekeeper died hours later and called on the Sudanese government to “respect the Status of Forces Agreement signed with the United Nations and lift all restrictions placed on the Mission”.

The Sudanese mission also rejected this blame saying they gave the needed authorisation and attributed his death to a “fatal injury” on his head.

A tripartite committee from the Sudanese government the African Union and the United Nations will resume meetings on an exit strategy next May.

The parties had to finalise an agreement this month but seemingly they failed to reach a deal on the gradual process.

Ban, in his statement mentioned, the ongoing discussions and called on Khartoum to cooperate with the UN on this regard.

(ST)