Unamid welcomes conviction of peacekeepers’ attackers in North Darfur

Unamid has welcomed the court verdict convicting three individuals accused of attacking the private residence of female Unamid Police Advisors in El Fasher, North Darfur.In a press release on Monday, the Mission highlighted that this is “the first case in which an attack against Unamid peacekeepers has been brought to trial and the perpetrators sentenced”. The incident happened in the early hours of 10 April 2014, when the Unamid personnel were attacked by a group of armed individuals. Two of the victims were robbed of their belongings at knife and gunpoint. One was sexually assaulted. Sudanese police apprehended four persons suspected of having participated in the attack. After a trial which lasted from 5 June to 18 September, three of the accused were convicted of having committed armed robbery and sentenced to three years imprisonment. One of the accused was also convicted of rape, with an additional sentence of five years in prison. “Unamid commends the excellent collaboration between the Mission and the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Darfur Crimes and calls on the Government of Sudan to further pursue and enhance this cooperation and ensure that all perpetrators of crimes against Unamid peacekeepers be brought to justice,” the press statement concludes.File photo