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United States Condemns Killing of
African Union Peacekeepers in Sudan
Washington, DC, October 2, Ghanadot - The United States
today, through a statement issued by the State Department
condemned the killing of African Union Peacekeepers in
Sudan.
The peacekeepers were attacked
on September 29-30, on the African Union Mission in Sudan’s
(AMIS) base camp at Haskanita in Darfur. Ten African
peacekeepers, at least, were killed as of the last count.
Many were injured and some are considered missing.
"Our sympathy goes out to the
families and colleagues of those affected by this attack, "
said Mr. Sean McCormack, Spokesperson for the US State
department.
The African Peacekeepers unit
was a compromise force arrived at between the United
Nations, Sudan and the African Union. Many Africans
have questioned the wisdom of this compromise force of some
20,000 men and have attributed this to the intention of Arab
states to doom the mission in Darfur.
"We deplore all acts of
violence in Sudan and call for a full investigation of this
attack. The perpetrators must be brought to justice,"
continued Mr. McCormack.
He added that the US remained
"concerned by recent reports that neither rebel factions nor
the Government of Sudan are adhering to a ceasefire and we
call on all parties to cease hostilities immediately. We are
prepared to apply additional sanctions against those who
target civilians or peacekeepers, and those who block the
political process."
Mr. McCormack insisted that the US believed that the
conflict in Darfur "will only be solved by a negotiated
peace settlement."
"We urge all parties to fully
participate in the peace process under the leadership of the
United Nations and African Union," he added.
The US, he said "commend the hard work of the African
Union’s peacekeepers since their first deployment in 2004,
and call for the rapid deployment of the UN’s heavy support
package and the hybrid AU-UN peacekeeping force, in
accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1769."
The Darfur conflict has
been a global concern since the beginning of the 21st
century.
Ghanadot, Washington, DC, USA
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