Ambush injures two UNAMID peacekeepers in Sudan's West Darfur

Ambush injures two UNAMID peacekeepers in Sudan's West Darfur

2011-07-24 13:34:41 GMT+7 (ICT)

DARFUR, SUDAN (BNO NEWS) -- Two peacekeepers were injured on Friday when gunmen opened fire at their vehicle in Sudan's West Darfur, the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said on Sunday.

A daily media briefing from the organization said the ambush by unknown persons happened on Friday between Ardamata and Dorti internally displaced persons (IDP) Camps, near El Geneina in West Darfur. The attack happened while the peacekeepers were escorting two fuel tankers.

"One soldier sustained a gunshot injury to the shoulder and has been evacuated to Khartoum. His condition is serious," a UNAMID spokesperson said. "The other soldier, who was wounded on one of his hands, was taken to the Mission hospital in El Geneina and is in a stable condition."

The spokesperson said UNAMID is investigating the attack, which comes just several weeks after unidentified gunmen opened fire on a United Nations minivan in El Geneina. The attack left an Ethiopian peacekeeper killed and another injured.

More than 23,000 troops, military observers and police officers and nearly 4,500 civilians serve with UNAMID, which took over peacekeeping duties from an earlier African Union mission at the start of 2008. A total of 29 UNAMID blue helmets have been killed in the line of duty while serving in Darfur.

The force is tasked with protecting civilians, promoting an inclusive peace process and help ensuring the safe delivery of humanitarian assistance across Darfur, an arid region on Sudan's western flank.

Fighting and large-scale displacement has convulsed the region since 2003, when rebels took up arms against the Government, whose military forces responded with the support of allied militiamen.

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