3 UN Peacekeepers Killed in Darfur

Posted October 11th, 2011 at 10:30 am (UTC-5)
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The United Nations says gunmen have killed three U.N. peacekeepers at a refugee camp in Sudan's troubled Darfur region.

The U.N. Mission in Darfur says two soldiers and a police advisor died in the attack, which occurred Monday about 10 kilometers south of El Fasher in North Darfur.

It says another six peacekeepers were injured and one of the gunmen was killed.

The head of the U.N. Mission in Darfur, Ibrahim Gambari, condemned the attack. He said peacekeepers are working to bring security to the Zam Zam displaced-persons camp where the attack occurred.

Gambari also urged Sudanese authorities to investigate the incident.

The United Nations says 33 peacekeepers have been killed in violence since the U.N. Mission in Darfur was deployed in 2007.

Mostly non-Arab rebels in Darfur took up arms against Sudan's government in 2003, accusing Khartoum of neglecting their region. Eight years later, Sudanese forces continue to fight the rebels, who have splintered into numerous groups.

The International Criminal Court has indicted Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and genocide in the region.

The United Nations says more than 300,000 people have been killed in the Darfur conflict. Sudan's government puts the death toll at 10,000.