{{A Nigerian peacekeeper from the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) was shot dead and two others injured early Friday in an attack by unidentified assailants on the agency’s base near Muhajeria in East Darfur}}.
The attack on UNAMID comes as the SAF this week regained control of the towns after the SLA-MM withdrew.
UNAMID said it is investigating the events surrounding the incident and is currently working with the Sudanese government to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice, adding that “any attack on international peacekeepers is a crime under international law”.
Both Muhajeria and Labado have been the scene of fierce fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and rebels from a faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM), who seized control of the strategic towns earlier this month.
The spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, Ban-Ki Moon, said he was “appalled and saddened”, by the fatal shooting.
“The secretary-general expresses his deepest condolences to the government of Nigeria and to the family and colleagues of the fallen peacekeeper”, the spokesperson said.
The secretary-general condemned those responsible for the attack “in the strongest terms”, urging authorities to hold the perpetrators criminally accountable.
Also, UN Security Council issued a statement condemning “in the strongest terms” the attack on UNAMID peacekeepers and urged the Sudanese government “to investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice”.
Violence in the two towns has forced thousands of civilians to flee their homes, with an estimated 18,000 seeking refuge around UNAMID bases in the area.
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