Armed bandits continue attacks against vehicles in Darfur, says UN mission
Armed bandits continue to carry out attacks on vehicles across Darfur, especially in the south of the war-torn and
impoverished Sudanese region, the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) reported today.
An estimated 30 bandits stopped commercial trucks on the weekend on a South Darfur road about 70 kilometres southeast of
Nyala, the provincial capital, and exchanged fire with five soldiers from the Popular Defence Forces (PDF) who were
escorting the convoy.
UNMIS said two people were killed and two others injured during the exchange, although the identity of the dead remain
unknown. The PDF soldiers are reported to have gone missing after the incident, while the attackers stole two of the
trucks.
A second convoy on its way to Nyala was later stopped at the same location, but the convoy was allowed to proceed after
an hour without being looted.
In a separate incident last Thursday, UNMIS reported that three armed men stopped a UN vehicle with two UN staff members
aboard near the UN Office in Nyala. The staff suffered slight injuries after they were assaulted by the attackers and
had their personal belongings looted.
After a drive of about 10 minutes, the attackers let the staff members out and took off with the vehicle, which remains
missing.
The attacks by armed bandits are taking place amid concerted international efforts, led by the UN and the African Union,
to bring peace to Darfur, where rebels have been fighting Government forces and allied militias since 2003.
In the past four years more than 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2.2 million others displaced from their
homes because of the violence, while an estimated 4 million now depend on humanitarian aid for survival.
ENDS