4 Nigerian peace-keepers killed in Darfur

An ambush in Sudan’s western Darfur region killed four Nigerian peacekeepers and wounded eight, the UN-African Union Mission (UNAMID) said on Wednesday.

The attackers struck late Tuesday in the West Darfur state capital El-Geneina, the peacekeeping force said.

“The incident, which involved a Nigerian military patrol, occurred approximately two kilometres (just over a mile) from the mission’s regional headquarters,” the force said.

“UNAMID personnel, who were heavily fired upon from several directions, returned fire. UNAMID and local authorities are working at the scene of the incident.”

UNAMID Force Commander Lieutenant General Patrick Nyamvumba called on the Khartoum authorities to hunt down those responsible.

“The mission condemns in the strongest terms this criminal attack on our peacekeepers who are here in the service of Darfur’s people. I call on the government of Sudan to bring the perpetrators to justice,” he said.

Ethnic minority rebels rose against the Arab-dominated Khartoum government in 2003. In response, the government unleashed state-backed Janjaweed Arab militia in a conflict that shocked the world and led to allegations of genocide.

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