UNAMID says 2 peacekeepers missing in South Darfur after gunmen ambush patrol

2 Darfur peacekeepers missing after ambush

CAIRO — Two international peacekeepers have gone missing in south Darfur along with half a dozen vehicles and equipment after an ambush on their patrol, the U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission in the region said Saturday.

UNAMID said in a statement that a large group of gunmen attacked the peacekeepers’ convoy Friday as it was traveling to Deribat, in the Jebel Marrah region, seizing their vehicles and taking them to an unknown location.

The gunmen released most of the patrol members and three armored vehicles early Saturday, but two peacekeepers are still unaccounted for and listed as missing, the statement said. No further details were immediately available.

Fighting between government forces and Darfur rebels from the Sudan Liberation Army intensified in Jebel Marrah — a rebel stronghold where peacekeepers have long been denied access — in mid-February.

UNAMID said it had received assurances from the rebels that their patrol would be able to travel unmolested through the region. The convoy was on a mission to evaluate the security and humanitarian situation in Deribat, where fighting is believed to have sent thousands of civilians fleeing, and caused a French-aid group to suspend its activities.

The peacekeeping force condemned the “unprovoked” ambush and said it is still searching for its personnel.

“Such acts of aggression ultimately affect the population of Darfur who should not be held hostage by anyone, be it for political or propaganda purposes, and peacekeepers should therefore be able to freely perform their duties,” the statement said.

UNAMID spokesman Kemal Saiki said the gunmen also kept six or seven peacekeepers vehicles and other equipment.

The joint U.N.-AU peacekeeping mission deployed to Darfur more than two years ago to protect civilians and improve security in the region. Twenty two peacekeepers have been killed since the joint force began its mission in January 2008.

The incident comes a week after Sudan’s government signed a cease-fire agreement with Darfur’s most powerful rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement.

The SLA has refused to join peace talks, saying government must disarm its militia first.