Three blue helmets serving with the joint United Nations-African Union force (UNAMID) in Sudan’s Darfur region were killed last night in an ambush at a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs), the mission confirmed today.
The soldiers were part of a regular night patrol that was ambushed by a group of unidentified armed men about 8:15 p.m. in Zam Zam, a large IDP camp just beyond the outskirts of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state.
The names and nationalities of the slain peacekeepers have not yet been released, but UNAMID said two were soldiers and one was a police adviser. Six other peacekeepers were injured in the ambush, three of them seriously, while one of the assailants was also killed.
Ibrahim Gambari, the head of UNAMID, strongly condemned last night’s attack, noting that the peacekeepers had been trying to ensure security at Zam Zam. He called on Sudanese authorities to launch an immediate investigation to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
“An attack on international peacekeepers is a war crime and we will ensure that justice will be served,” he said. “This deplorable incident will not deter UNAMID’s strong commitment to its mission to protect the people of Darfur.”
In a separate statement issued by his spokesperson, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the killings and offered his sympathies to the families of those killed....
The names and nationalities of the slain peacekeepers have not yet been released, but UNAMID said two were soldiers and one was a police adviser. Six other peacekeepers were injured in the ambush, three of them seriously, while one of the assailants was also killed.
Ibrahim Gambari, the head of UNAMID, strongly condemned last night’s attack, noting that the peacekeepers had been trying to ensure security at Zam Zam. He called on Sudanese authorities to launch an immediate investigation to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
“An attack on international peacekeepers is a war crime and we will ensure that justice will be served,” he said. “This deplorable incident will not deter UNAMID’s strong commitment to its mission to protect the people of Darfur.”
In a separate statement issued by his spokesperson, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the killings and offered his sympathies to the families of those killed....
African Union 'drives al-Shabab out of Mogadishu' (click here)
The African Union force in Mogadishu said its forces on Monday fought their way into and took over the last militant strongholds in the northern end of Somalia's capital. At least eight civilians and one AU soldier were killed.
Heavy fighting broke out after AU and Somali government forces attacked militant positions following what the AU force said were the deaths of at least 12 Somali civilians because of militants' mortars over the weekend.
Residents in Mogadishu's northern neighbourhoods fled explosions and gunfire as the troops made a push toward positions held by al-Shabab militants. Civilians often suffer heavily from the fighting in Mogadishu. Monday was no different, with at least eight killed and 20 wounded. It is difficult to know if civilian deaths were caused by pro-government or militant forces.
The al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab fled Mogadishu in August in what its leaders said was a tactical pullout. But the militant group returned in a big way last week, setting off a truck bomb that killed more than 100 people as students tried to learn if they had won a scholarship to attend school in Turkey....
Uganda To Receive 100 U.S Military Advisors (click here)
World Wild Web
2011-10-15 01:58 PM
On Friday, the Obama Administration announced that they will be sending about 100 U.S forces to Uganda and African Union Forces fighting Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).
The troops will give professional advise and training to the Ugandan troops that are working hard in bringing the LRA leader to book. President Obama in his notification added that he had sent an advance team on Oct 12 and others will follow in a months time.
"For more than two decades, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has murdered, raped, and kidnapped tens of thousands of men, women, and children in central Africa," Obama said in the letter. "In furtherance of the Congress's stated policy, I have authorized a small number of combat-equipped U.S. forces to deploy to central Africa to provide assistance to regional forces that are working toward the removal of [LRA commander] Joseph Kony from the battlefield."...
The troops will give professional advise and training to the Ugandan troops that are working hard in bringing the LRA leader to book. President Obama in his notification added that he had sent an advance team on Oct 12 and others will follow in a months time.
"For more than two decades, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has murdered, raped, and kidnapped tens of thousands of men, women, and children in central Africa," Obama said in the letter. "In furtherance of the Congress's stated policy, I have authorized a small number of combat-equipped U.S. forces to deploy to central Africa to provide assistance to regional forces that are working toward the removal of [LRA commander] Joseph Kony from the battlefield."...
ROCK RAPIDS, Iowa (click here) - Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann on Friday questioned President Obama's decision to provide U.S. forces to help hunt down a central African terrorist accused of kidnapping, raping and killing thousands in the region.
"I do not know enough about it to comment on it," Bachmann said at a town hall meeting here. But she went on to add "When it comes to sending our brave men and women into foreign nations, we will have to first demonstrate a vital American national interest."
She noted that she opposed the president's decision to commit American forces to aiding the pro-democracy forces in Libya who eventually ousted dictator Moammar Gaddafi. "He did not get permission from Congress; he just did it unilaterally," said Bachmann, adding: "It just happened again."
"This is a very serious matter," Bachmann continued. "You do not just send American troops in."...
