By Prensa Latina
United Nations : UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon denounced the attack on a properly identified UN humanitarian caravan by members of the Sudanese Army, as it traveled through western Darfur.
The trucks were carrying supplies for the new joint UN/African Union mission, known as UNAMID, and one of the Sudanese drivers was seriously wounded after he was hit by seven bullets, said a statement released by UN spokeswoman Michele Montas.
The secretary general strongly condemns this attack and stresses that for UNAMID to be able to fulfill its mandate, the Government of Sudan must give guarantees that similar incidents will not happen, she added.
In Ban’s opinion, this incident highlights the importance for Jartum authorities to reassert their commitment with the UNAMID deployment and the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1769.
In a statement from Darfur, UNAMID said its forces are on alert and the incident is under investigation, as UNAMAID leaders are in consultations and discussions with Sudanese authorities.
UNAMID is set up to be composed of 26,000 soldiers and police (it currently has 9,000) with the peace-keeping mission in violence-torn Darfur, where over 200,000 people have lost their lives since 2003.
Clashes between army troops, supported by Arab militias, and rebel groups have also triggered the displacement of 2.2 million people, fleeing from violence.