Jordan says two UNAMID peacekeepers killed in Darfur
Gunmen killed two peacekeepers, one from Jordan and one from
Senegal, in an attack on Sunday on a United Nations patrol in Sudan's
conflict-stricken Darfur, Jordan's Public Security Directorate said.
"This morning, gunmen in South Darfur opened fire at a
UN patrol, killing Jordanian Major Talal Rjub and a Senegalese
peacekeeper," the statement said.
"The United Nations peacekeeping force has informed us
of the attack and said it was investigating it," the statement added
without elaborating.
More than 12 peacekeepers from the African Union-UN
peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) have been killed in the region in the
past five months.
In January, two Jordanian peacekeepers were freed after more
than four months in captivity in Darfur. The men went missing in August 2013 as
they shopped for supplies.
An uprising against the Khartoum government started in the
region a decade ago, and the UN says that at least 300,000 people have died in
the conflict.
A new surge in fighting this year has been blamed on rivalry
between Arab tribes in the western region. Hundreds have died in clashes
between different tribes and militias.
The UN-African Union mission has more than 25,000 troops and
police in Darfur.
More than 3,000 members of Jordan's armed forces serve with
international peacekeepers around the world.
"Jordan has the second largest peacekeeping force
working under UNAMID in Darfur," a security official told AFP without
giving precise figures.
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