DTN News: Three RDF Soldiers Killed In Darfur Ambush

DTN News: Three RDF Soldiers Killed In Darfur Ambush

Source: DTN News / Int'l Media By Edmund Kagire

(NSI News Source Info) DARFUR, Sudan - June 22, 2010: Unidentified gunmen in camouflage Monday morning attacked a group of Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) serving in the African Union-United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) killing three and wounding one. In an interview with The New Times, the UNAMID Force Commander, Lt. Gen Patrick Nyamvumba, confirmed the attack that took place in Nertiti, Western Darfur. "It is true we lost three peacekeepers and one wounded in an indiscriminate attack, but I would like to state that the force won't be deterred or intimidated from carrying out its duty," Nyamvumba said over the phone from Sudan. He said that the wounded peacekeeper was taken to the mission's hospital in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur. He added that the attack targeted the 49th Battalion commanded by Col. Callixte Kanimba and that the RDF is yet to inform the next of kin of the unidentified soldiers. According to Nyamvumba, it is too early to pinpoint who the perpetrators of the attack are in the volatile Sudanese region. "The situation is volatile. As I speak, there is an area where tribal crashes are going on. It is very unpredictable," he said. Defence Spokesperson Lt. Col Jill Rutaremara said that the RDF strongly condemned the attack which targeted innocent peacekeepers and civilians. "They were guarding a construction site and our soldiers fought back and killed 3 of the assailants," said Rutaremara. "RDF strongly condemns this barbaric act which targeted innocent peacekeepers and civilians. The assailants will be pursued". It is reported that more than 20 assailants opened fire without warning on the RDF soldiers as they provided security to civilian engineers working near the West Darfur village of Nertiti. The attack occurred slightly over a month after two peacekeepers were slain while conducting a routine patrol in South Darfur, and takes the number of UNAMID peacekeepers who have been murdered in Darfur since the mission began operations in January 2008 to 27. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon led UN officials in deploring the attack, saying in a statement issued by his spokesperson that the Sudanese Government must make every effort to apprehend the assailants. "The Secretary-General expresses his condolences to the families of the peacekeepers who lost their lives and to the Government of Rwanda and reiterates his appreciation for their service and commitment to the search for peace in Darfur," the statement added. Mohamed B. Yonis, the Deputy Joint Special Representative for UNAMID, voiced outrage at the attack and praised the peacekeepers for their courage. He also said the mission would not be deterred from its work. "Our mission will continue to carry out its mandate, which is to bring peace and security to the people of Darfur," Mr. Yonis said.

DTN News: Sudan TODAY December 5, 2009 ~ Sudan Summons Top UNAMID Official To Protest Reports Of Non-Cooperation

DTN News: Sudan TODAY December 5, 2009 ~ Sudan Summons Top UNAMID Official To Protest Reports Of Non-Cooperation *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) KHARTOUM, Sudan - December 5, 2009: The Sudanese government on Thursday summoned the acting head of the hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) to voice anger at accusations of lack of cooperation reported this week to the UN Security Council. Nigerian peacekeeping soldiers from the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) patrol in Osha IDP's camp in Nyla, southern Darfur. Law and order have collapsed in Darfur where international experts say at least 200,000 people have been killed, while Khartoum says 10,000 have died. The undermanned peacekeeping force has found itself caught in the middle of an increasingly chaotic conflict involving bandits, rival tribes, government militias and rebels. "UNAMID has been facing some serious challenges relating to its freedom of movement, Assistant-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Edmond Mulet, told the UN Security Council on Monday. He further said they raised the issue with Senior Sudanese officials in New York on September 28 and transmitted a detailed list of incidents to Sudan’s mission to the UN. Sudanese foreign ministry conveyed strong protests to the UNAMID Acting Joint Special Representative, Henry Anyidoho over the non-cooperation of the government in the deployment of the hybrid forces, said the official news agency SUNA on Thursday. Mutrif Siddig, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked Anyidoho for clarification about the circumstances of the report which does not reflect the government’s cooperation in the deployment of the hybrid operation. Displaced Sudanese women walk past an armoured personnel carrier (APC) of United Nations-African Union Mission in Nyala, southern Darfur March. Law and order have collapsed in Darfur where international experts say at least 200,000 people have been killed, while Khartoum says 10,000 have died. The undermanned peacekeeping force has found itself caught in the middle of an increasingly chaotic conflict involving bandits, rival tribes, government militias and rebels. The foreign ministry further said this report goes against what came out of the seventh meeting of the tripartite mechanism between Sudan, the African Union and the United Nations held in Khartoum on October 16. According to SUNA, the Acting Joint Special Representative pledged to investigate the issue and brief Sudanese government about the outcome of his probe. In a report issued on 16 November, the UN secretary general said freedom of movement continues to be a serious concern for UNAMID and many of the agencies in Darfur. He said Sudanese government frequently denied access to the camps of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the restive region. He added that "UNAMID patrols have been confronted with warning shots, guns pointed at convoys and low overflight by SAF military helicopters in a threatening manner". The UN chief further spoke about direct threats against the mission by the Sudanese officials. "On 17 August 2009, UNAMID received a letter from the Civil Aviation Authority in El Geneina stating that two UNAMID helicopters had flown over a Government military base, and warning that if that were to reoccur, the Sudanese military would shoot down UNAMID aircraft."

DTN News: Sudan TODAY August 28, 2009 ~ Sudan's Darfur No Longer At War Says Peacekeeping Chief Martin Luther Agwai

DTN News: Sudan TODAY August 28, 2009 ~ Sudan's Darfur No Longer At War Says Peacekeeping Chief Martin Luther Agwai

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) KHARTOUM, Sudan - August 28, 2009: Sudan's Darfur region is no longer in a state of war and only has one rebel group capable of mounting limited military campaigns, the head of the area's peacekeeping force said as he ended his tour of duty. UNAMID force commander Gen. Martin Agwai, center salutes his officers, unseen as he leaves after his visit to the Nertiti military base near the southern Darfur town of Nertiti, Sudan. Gen. Agwai conducted a one day field trip that included two of his operating UNAMID military units in the Darfur remote towns of Kas and Nertiti. The statement was quickly dismissed by Darfur insurgents on Thursday who said they were armed and preparing to launch new attacks on Sudan government troops in the near future. The commander of the joint U.N./African Union UNAMID peacekeeping force, Martin Luther Agwai, told reporters the conflict had now descended into banditry and "very low intensity" engagements that could still blight the remote western region for years without a peace deal. "As of today, I would not say there is a war going on in Darfur," he said in a briefing in Khartoum late on Wednesday. "Militarily there is not much. What you have is security issues more now. Banditry ... people trying to resolve issues over water and land at a local level. But real war as such, I think we are over that." The six-year Darfur conflict has pitted pro-government militias and troops against mostly non-Arab rebels, who took up arms in 2003, demanding better representation and accusing Khartoum of neglecting the development of the region. Khartoum says 10,000 have died in Darfur, while the United Nations puts the death count at up to 300,000. Agwai became the latest senior figure to appear to play down the level of violence in Darfur, where the conflict has mobilized activists who accuse Khartoum of genocide. Mostly Western campaigners and some diplomats were angered by comments in April by UNAMID's political leader Rodolphe Adada, who said Darfur had subsided into a "low-intensity conflict"; and by U.S. Sudan envoy Scott Gration in June who said he had seen the "remnants of genocide" in the region, stopping short, they said, of describing a current genocide. FACTIONS Agwai said the fierce fighting of the early years of the conflict had subsided as rebel groups split into rival groups. "Apart from JEM, I do not see any other group that can launch an attack on the ground," he said referring to the Justice and Equality Movement, a rebel force that launched an unprecedented attack on Khartoum last year. Agwai said JEM could still fight, but did not have the manpower to hold territory. The Nigerian general added there was still a chance full blown conflict would resume. JEM has clashed a number of times with the Sudanese army in the past months, and has said it withdrew voluntarily on two occasions to protect locals from government air attacks. JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim on Thursday told Reuters there had been a period of calm in Darfur. "But this is the quiet period before the storm. In the coming days he (Agwai) will find out he is wrong. He is just talking like a politician and trying to show he was a success in Darfur." Ibrahim said there were fewer battles now than in the early days of the conflict. "The quality of war has changed. The fighting is more intense. You don't say there is no war because there is no fighting for a week." Jerry Fowler, head of Save Darfur, a U.S.-based advocacy group, said, "Darfur remains a very dangerous place" -- above all for the millions of displaced people in camps. He said that as recently as February there was a major battle between JEM and Sudanese government forces around the town of Muhajiriya. Agwai, who is due to leave Sudan on Thursday after two years at the head of the peacekeeping force, said his main regret was the lack of progress in getting a peace deal. "I really didn't have any peace so I couldn't command a force that could really keep the peace," he said, adding that Darfur's localized insecurity could continue "for years" without a settlement. Negotiations between JEM and Khartoum in Doha are stalled and the founder of Darfur's rebel Sudan Liberation Movement is refusing to talk.