UN peacekeeper abducted as Security Council visits El Fasher

A UN peacekeeping staff member was abducted from his residence in El Fasher yesterday evening, during the visit by the UN Security Council delegation headed by US Ambassador Susan Rice.  Although abductions of foreigners have occurred in the capital of South Darfur, this event was unusual for being the first such kidnapping in the capital of North Darfur.The Press and Information Division of the UNAMID peacekeeping mission said that a group of four or five gunmen broke into the house of four civilian staff members of UNAMID, tied up two of them and took the other two in a car belonging to UNAMID. One opened the door and jumped out as they were driving off, succeeding in making his escape. The other remains missing.

The Security Council has issued a number of resolutions on Darfur including ordering the ICC Prosecutor to investigate atrocities committed there, imposing an arms embargo, and forbidding offensive air operations. The abduction happened on the same day as the government’s air and ground offensive in East Jebel Marra, according to the army spokesman Col. Al Sawarmi Khaled Saad. There were also anti-ICC protests in El Fasher organized by Sudan’s ruling party.

The ambassadors of the Security Council were meeting with UNAMID leaders at the ‘Super Camp’ in El Fasher at about the same time as this abduction unfolded.