UN mission in Darfur still trying to access Hashaba
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Edmond Mulet
United Nations peacekeepers in the North Darfur region of Sudan have still not been able to access an area where dozens of civilians were reportedly killed last month.
That's what the deputy head of UN peacekeeping operations, Edmond Mulet, told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Mr. Mulet said that at the beginning of October a patrol of the joint UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) went to the village of Hashaba to verify reports of an attack on civilians.
He said UNAMID collected information about the violence in the area but when another patrol tried to go to Hashaba on 17 October, it came under fire from unidentified attackers.
"The attackers who fired heavy machine guns, mortars and rocket propelled grenades from high ground withdrew as UNAMID peacekeepers returned fire. The patrol then returned to base without having reached Hashaba. As the Council is aware and regrettably, one South African peacekeeper was killed and three others were wounded in the exchange. UNAMID is continuing its efforts to access Hashaba." (Duration: 27")
Mr. Mulet said this was the second fatal attack on UNAMID peacekeepers in two weeks which followed the killing of three Nigerian peacekeepers in West Darfur.
