TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Scores of unidentified attackers launched two separate assaults to the United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping Forces in Darfur, Sudan - resulting in the deaths of two assailants, said the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID).
The assaults happened when relationship between Khartoum and UNAMID soured, after UNAMID launched an investigation into allegations that Sudanese soldiers raped around 200 women and children last October, as reported by Antara News.
One UNAMID patrol managed to defeat several assailants during an ambush near the UN Peacekeeping base in Khor Abeche in South Darfur, said UNAMID spokesperson, Ashraf Eissa. Two assailants were killed in the ensuing firefight, and no peacekeepers were harmed in the incident, according to a statement released by UNAMID.
Another UNAMID patrol was attacked by 15 unidentified assailants near Habilia, in West Darfur, where they managed to steal a water tank and a vehicle. No peacekeepers were harmed in this incident either, said Eissa, who called on the government to investigate both incidents seriously.
UNAMID was established in 2007, four years after numerous ethnic clashes erupted against President Omar al-Bashir's Arab-dominated administration, over complaints that they felt treated as second-class citizens.
Previously, three UNAMID soldiers from Ethiopia died in a similar ambush.
The relationship between UNAMID and Khartoum continues to sour as a result of the investigation into the mass-rape by Sudanese soldiers - last month, Khartoum ordered the deportation of two senior UN officials for 'insulting' the nation, and accused them of 'undermining' the administration.
It is known that Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes charges in Darfur, where UN records show that at least 300,000 people have died and a further two million displaced since violence broke out in 2003, as reported by AFP.
ANTARA NEWS | HEPPY RATNA | RAMA ARIADI
