Ethiopian UNAMID peacekeepers injured in West Darfur

In West Darfur, two Ethiopian UNAMID peacekeepers were injured in an ambush by two unidentified gunmen. The incident occurred on Friday 22 July, between Ardamata and Dorti internally displaced persons (IDP) Camps, near El Geneina. The UNAMID soldiers escorted a convoy of two fuel tankers.Susan Manuel, Deputy Spokesman for UNAMID, told Radio Dabanga, that one soldier sustained a gunshot injury to the shoulder and was evacuated to Khartoum, as his condition was serious. The other soldier, who was wounded on one of his hands, was taken to the Mission hospital in El Geneina and was in a stable condition. UNAMID is currently investigating the incident. Susan Manuel explained to Radio Dabanga, that the incident was the second of its kind, as three troops got killed three weeks ago. President Ibrahim Gambari UNAMID considered the attacks on UN personnel as war crimes.

Gambari, called on Khartoum to show some flexibility in dealing with the situation in Darfur, if Sudan wants Darfur to remain within the structure of the Sudanese State. He reminded the Sudanese government of the recent secession of South Sudan, which has become a full member of the United Nations. Gambari told reporters, after a meeting on the region in the Security Council, that it was very likely that the government of Sudan would use force to keep the Darfur. He said, however, that this would be unacceptable, and Gambari pointed to a number of challenges facing the peace process in Darfur.