20100803
africanews

Four Sierra Leonean peacekeepers serving in the joint United Nations-African Union mission were killed in the Sudanese war-torn region of Darfur. The peacekeepers died in a road accident which happened late on Sunday in Nyala, south Darfur, the mission said Monday.

Further details were not made available but the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was saddened by the deaths of four Sierra Leonean peacekeepers.

Ban conveyed his condolences to the Sierra Leonean Government and to the families of the four soldiers, and hoped for the full recovery of two other military personnel who were injured in the accident.

UNAMID officials were quoted that the accident did not appear to be the results of an ambush.

Meanwhile, U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said that Sudan government plans to restrict UNAMID’s movement in Darfur, where tension has been increasing in recent months.
He said that the move would not be in keeping with the status of forces agreement that Khartoum signed with the United Nations.

The Sudanese information ministry has said that UNAMID staff bags will be searched at the Airport, and also will have to inform the government before moving on roads in Darfur.

The U.N. Security Council on Friday renewed UNAMID's mandate for another year. UNAMID mission is the largest peacekeeping forces in the world.

Law and order in the Western Region of Darfur has collapsed since 2003 when black African rebels began to take arms against the Sudan government.

The ongoing conflicts in Darfur has killed some 300,000 people and displaced more than 2.5 million others, according to the UN report. Sudan however said only 10,000 people are dead.