22 Oct 2012

DARFUR / CONVOY ATTACK

The UN has called on the Sudanese authorities to investigate the ambush of one of its convoys last week, which left one South African peacekeeper dead and three wounded. It was the second deadly attack on UN peacekeepers in Darfur this month. UNAMID

Posted at: October 22, 2012 5:20 pm

Duration: 01:35

Available in: SD

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Full script

STORY: DARFUR / CONVOY ATTACK
TRT: 1:35
SOURCE: UNAMID
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ NATS

DATELINE: 22 OCTOBER 2012, NORTH DARFUR, SUDAN

SHOTLIST:

1.  Wide shot, South African peacekeepers checking convoy armoured carrier hit by mortar
2. Close up, damaged armoured carrier front
3. Close up, bullet holes on windscreen
4. Various shots, South African peacekeepers looking at the armoured carrier
5. Wide shot, armed South African peacekeepers walking inside the UN base
6. Med shot, South African peacekeepers inside UN base
7. Wide shot, South Africans gathering for a briefing
8. Med shot, delegation led by Hassan A Gibril, Head of office in Sector North Darfur walking to brief the troops
9. Close up, injured South African peacekeepers at the parade
10. Wide shot, Hassan A Gibril talking to troops 
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Hassan A Gibril, Head of Office in Sector North Darfur, UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID):
"We are here to do a job, and we have lost peacekeepers all along while we are performing our duties elsewhere in Darfur region, most recently in west Darfur, but this will not deter us from continuing to fulfil our mandated activities. And of course we are planning as early as feasible to undertake another visit to Hashaba. And Hashaba is part of AOR [area of operation] and is part of the AOR of South African battalion here in Kutum and we need to go there, we need to know what is happening."
12. Wide shot, South African peacekeepers walking in base

STORYLINE:

A delegation of the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) today (22 October) visited the base of South African peacekeepers who were ambushed last week during a mission to verify fighting in the village of Hashaba in North Darfur.

The attack was carried out by unidentified assailants, who used weapons including mortars, medium machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades. One South African peacekeeper was killed and three more injured.

UNAMID's head of office for North Darfur, Hassan A Gibril led a team comprising representatives of the human rights, rule of law and civil affairs units on the visit. They offered their condolences but reaffirmed the mission's commitment to serve Darfurians.

SOUNDBITE (English) Hassan A Gibril, Head of office in Sector North Darfur, UN (UNAMID):
"We are here to do a job, and we have lost peacekeepers all along while we are performing our duties elsewhere in Darfur region, most recently in west Darfur, but this will not deter us from continuing to fulfil our mandated activities. And of course we are planning as early as feasible to undertake another visit to Hashaba. And Hashaba is part of AOR [area of operation] and is part of the AOR of South African battalion here in Kutum and we need to go there, we need to know what is happening."

One of UNAMID's convoys came under fire last Wednesday (17 October) while on its way from the town of Kutum to the town of Hashaba North, 56 kilometres northeast of Kutum, to assess the situation following reports of violence in that area. The convoy returned fire.

The attack brings to five the number of peacekeepers killed in Darfur this month alone. Forty-three peacekeepers have been killed since the establishment of UNAMID in December 2007.