Unknown gunmen killed United Nations peacekeepers in Sudan's conflict-ridden Darfur region on Monday, a spokesman for the UNAMID mission said, dpa reported.
The group of around 20 armed assailants opened fire on the peacekeepers who were guarding a group of engineers at work near the village of Nertiti in West Darfur. The soldiers died in the exchange of fire that followed.
UNAMID Deputy Joint Special Representative Mohamed Yonis condemned the attack as an "act of wanton violence" and called on Khartoum to find and arrest the perpetrators.
Clashes between warring nomadic groups in Darfur at the weekend left at least 40 people dead. According to UNAMID, disputes over grazing land and water had sparked the deadly confrontation.
UNAMID peacekeepers are tasked with monitoring refugee camps and areas in the conflict zone. According to UN figures, more than 300,000 have been killed there since 2003 and 2.5 million others have been driven out of their homes.
Gunmen kill three UN peackeepers in Sudan's Darfur region
See Also:
- Amnesty: Arms from China, Russia fuel on-going Darfur conflict
- South Sudan crisis 'major threat' to peace: Ban
- More than 20 Chinese workers missing after attack on their camp in Sudan: embassy
- UN criticizes Iraq's execution of 34 people in one day
- UNAMID officer killed, another injured in attack in Sudan's Darfur
