Two humanitarian aid workers killed in Sudan’s Darfur
NAIROBI, Oct 12 (AFP) — The United Nations on Tuesday said two humanitarian aid workers from Britain’s Save the Children fund were killed in Sudan’s western Darfur region when their vehicle hit an explosive device.
The blast that killed two, one an international aid worker and the other from Sudan was believed to have been caused by a landmine or unexploded ordnance, a statement issued by the UN Advance Mission in Sudan (UNAMIS) said.
“The victims of the blast were humanitarians, whose presence in Darfur was motivated by the wish to assist people affected by the conflict,” the statement quoted Jan Pronk, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s special representative for Sudan, as saying in Nairobi on Tuesday.
“It is tragic that people who have come to Darfur to help the victims of the civil war become targets and victims themselves,” Pronk said.
At least 50,000 people have been killed in Darfur and 1.4 million people have fled their homes since two rebel movements — the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) – rose up against Khartoum in February 2003 to demand an end to what they called the marginalisation of their western region.
Khartoum’s response to arm and support an Arab militia, the Janjaweed, which has been accused of committing massive human rights abuses against Darfur’s black African people.
“This particular trip of the Save the Children vehicle had been fully notified to both the Sudan government and the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A), as per agreed notification procedures,” the statement quoted Pronk as saying.
Pronk reminded the Sudan government and the SLM/A of their obligation to take steps to safeguard humanitarian workers, which includes providing information-affecting security on their routes of travel.
The statement said Annan has repeatedly condemned the use of landmines as weapons that indiscriminately kill civilians, and reiterated United Nations calls on the parties to the conflict in Darfur “to immediately cease the use of such weapons.”