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| Africa Horn |
| Gunmen attack aid workers in Darfur |
| 2008-12-06 |
| (AKI) - Two gunmen equipped with assault rifles and a hand grenade stopped a humanitarian convoy in Sudan's war-ravaged Darfur region, beat up the aid workers and stole money in the latest of a long series of such assaults that are impeding relief operations, the United Nations reported. The non-governmental organisation convoy of three vehicles with six local staff was stopped in South Darfur on its way from Nyala, the provincial capital, to the Kalma camp, the joint UN-African Union mission in Darfur or UNAMID said in a statement. "Although the workers complied without resistance to demands for money, the attackers assaulted them up before leaving the scene," it added "Three out of the six workers were reportedly severely beaten and taken to the local hospital, where their condition is listed as stable and non life-threatening." Initial reports suggest that the assailants were informed of the workers' movements and that they were transporting cash intended for the payment of salaries for the Kalma camp staff. "If proven right, these suspicions would point to an act of banditry," UNAMID added. UNAMID, slated to reach 26,000 personnel but now only 10,500-strong, is being deployed throughout Darfur in an effort to bring peace to a region where more than five years of fighting between Government forces, allied Janjaweed militia and rebel groups have killed an estimated 300,000 people and driven another 2.7 million from their homes. |
| Posted by:Fred |