7 U.N. peacekeepers killed in Sudan attack

[Vikrant]

CAIRO (AP) — Gunmen ambushed a United Nations peacekeeping team Saturday in Sudan's western region of Darfur, killing seven and wounding another 17 in the deadliest ever attack single attack on the international force in the country.

The assault included sustained heavy fire from machine guns and possibly rocket-propelled grenades, targeting the force some 25 kilometers (15 miles) west of the town of Khor Abeche, U.N. forces spokesman Chris Cycmanick said. Reinforcements later arrived to rescue the wounded, which included two female police advisers, the force said in a statement.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the assault. Cycmanick declined to give the nationalities of those killed and wounded in the attack.

Peacekeepers have been targeted by assailants in the past in the region since the international force began its work there in 2008. In the last attack, gunmen shot dead a Nigerian peacekeeper in April in East Darfur State.

The joint African Union-U.N. peacekeeping force, dubbed UNAMID, was established to protect civilians in Darfur, but also contributes to security for those providing humanitarian aid, verifying agreements, political reconciliation efforts and promoting human rights.

It has about 16,500 troops and military observers and over 5,000 international police. More than 300,000 people have been killed in the Darfur conflict since rebels took up arms against the Sudanese government nearly 10 years ago, accusing it of discrimination and neglect.

"The mission condemns in the strongest possible terms those responsible for this heinous attack on our peacekeepers," said Mohamed Ibn Chambas, a joint special representative of the force. "The perpetrators should be on notice that they will be pursued for this crime and gross violation of international humanitarian law."

Official: 7 U.N. peacekeepers killed in Sudan attack

 

[waltky]

US Military Aircraft Under Attack In South Sudan...

South Sudan: Gunfire Hits US Military Aircraft
December 2013 ~ Four personnel are injured as their aircraft is fired on during a mission to evacuate Americans following outbreaks of violence.

At least one US military aircraft has been fired at during an evacuation mission in South Sudan, leaving four personnel injured. One individual is said to be in a critical condition. The US military confirmed four people were wounded when the aircraft was hit by gunfire. Earlier reports said two aircraft had come under fire. South Sudan has blamed the attack on renegade troops.

US President Barack Obama said any effort in South Sudan to seize power through military force will lead America and others to cut off support. Officials said the aircraft was heading for an evacuation site in Bor, the capital of the state of Jonglei and the scene of some of the country's worst violence in the past week.

After being fired at it reportedly turned around and headed to Kampala in Uganda. From there the wounded service personnel were flown to Nairobi, Kenya, for medical treatment. Fighting broke out in the South Sudanese capital Juba between rival army factions last Sunday and has since spread to other regions, claiming at least 500 lives.

Kenya said on Saturday it was sending troops to South Sudan to evacuate some 1,600 citizens. Many are trapped in Bor, which has been taken by rebels. President Uhuru Kenyatta has "ordered the KDF (Kenya Defence Force) to commence immediate evacuation of the 1,600 Kenyans stranded in South Sudan", a spokesman said in a statement.

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US military aircraft hit in S. Sudan, 4 wounded
21 Dec.`13 — Gunfire hit a U.S. military aircraft trying to evacuate American citizens in a remote region of South Sudan that on Saturday became a battle ground between the country's military and renegade troops, officials said. Four U.S. service members were wounded in the attack in the same region that gunfire downed a U.N. helicopter the day before.

The U.S. military aircraft was about to land in Bor, the capital of the state of Jonglei and scene of some of the nation's worst violence over the last week, when it was hit. One American service member was reported to be in critical condition. The U.S. military's Africa Command said the aircraft was "participating in a mission to evacuate American citizens in Bor." A South Sudan official said violence against civilians there has resulted in bodies "sprinkled all over town." "After receiving fire from the ground while approaching the site, the aircraft diverted to an airfield outside the country and aborted the mission," the statement said. "The injured troops are being treated for their wounds." It was not known how many U.S. civilians are in Bor.

Two officials told The Associated Press that after the aircraft took incoming fire, they turned around and flew to Kampala, Uganda. From there the service members were flown to Nairobi, Kenya for medical treatment. The two officials are in East Africa and demanded anonymity to share information not made public. The military statement did not identify the aircraft taking part in the mission. One official told AP it appeared the aircraft were Ospreys, the type of aircraft that can fly like a helicopter and a plane. A second official said the Americans did not tell the top commander in Bor — Gen. Peter Gadet, who defected from the South Sudan military this week — that they were coming in, which may have led to the attack.

South Sudan's military spokesman, Col. Philip Aguer, said that government troops are not in control of Bor, so the attack on the U.S. aircraft has to be blamed on renegade soldiers. "Bor is under the control of the forces of Riek Machar," Aguer said. The U.S. aircraft was hit one day after small arms fire downed a U.N. helicopter in the same state. Rob McKee, operations manager for Warrior Security, a South Sudan security company, said the U.N. helicopter made an emergency landing while trying to evacuate personnel from a base in Yuai, Jonglei state. A second official who insisted on anonymity because the information hasn't been released said the helicopter was abandoned and remains unable to fly. No injuries were reported. The U.N. planned to try to evacuate the personnel left behind by ground. A U.N. spokesman didn't answer a phone call or email seeking comment.

South Sudan's information minister, Michael Makuei Lueth, said that South Sudanese ground troops, backed by the country's air force, are fighting rebels in Bor, an effort to retake the state capital they lost earlier this week. "There is fighting going on in Bor town, yes, because since morning they have continued to attack the civilian population," he said, talking about renegade troops. "They have gone as far as not respecting the U.N. compound." He said fighting started early Saturday after reports came in that rebels there were shooting indiscriminately at civilians. "The bodies are sprinkled all over the town," he said. No death toll could be estimated, he said.

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