Darfur Peacekeepers to Increase Patrols After Spate of Attacks

September 17, 2009
By Maram Mazen

Sept. 17 (Bloomberg) -- The joint United Nations and African Union peacekeeping mission in Sudan’s Darfur region said it will increase patrols, after a spate of attacks on humanitarian workers.

In the latest incident, gunmen carjacked two trucks carrying food from the UN World Food Program and briefly detained their drivers in south Darfur, the mission, known as UNAMID, said in an e-mailed statement late yesterday. The stolen items were not recovered, it said.

“In spite of the relative calm in the mission area, banditry and other attacks against UNAMID staff may increase,” the statement said. “UNAMID will therefore intensify its patrols.”

Bandits regularly target aid workers in Darfur, where a six-year-old conflict between the government and rebel groups has created the world’s largest humanitarian operation. Unidentified gunmen kidnapped two civilians working for UNAMID on Aug. 29 and are asking for a ransom.

Low-level fighting in Darfur escalated in 2003 when rebels took up arms against the government in Khartoum, accusing it of neglecting the region. The UN says 300,000 people have died in the conflict, while the government puts the death toll at 10,000.

Source: Bloomberg.
Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601116&sid=aeUtg4xp8TZA.