AU chair condemns attack on Unamid in North Darfur

The chairwoman of the Commission of the African Union (AU) condemned “in the strongest terms” the attack by unidentified men on a Unamid escort in North Darfur on Sunday, in which one South African peacekeeper was killed and four others were injured.
In a press release on Tuesday, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma called on the Sudanese government to swiftly investigate the attack on a logistic and administrative escort of Unamid in North Darfur’s Mellit locality and bring the perpetrators to justice.
She stressed that attacks on peacekeepers constitute war crimes, and reminded the parties to the Darfur conflict of the integrity of Unamid.
Dlamini-Zuma extended the AU’s “deepest condolences” to the South African government and the family of “the brave peacekeeper who fell while defending the cause of peace in Darfur”. She also wished the four injured peacekeepers a full and speedy recovery.
She reiterated the AU’s continued support for Unamid and urged all parties to the conflict in Darfur “to seriously engage in efforts to achieve lasting peace through negotiations and end the suffering of the people of Darfur”.