UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday condemned in the
strongest possible terms a recent attack in Haskanita, South Darfur
of Sudan, during which some 10 African Union (AU) peacekeepers were
killed.
Citing AU reports saying that some personnel of the AU Mission
in Sudan (AMIS) have also been wounded and many are missing
following Saturday's "shocking and brutal assault," Ban called for
those responsible to be brought to justice for the "outrageous"
act.
Ban offered his condolences to the families of those killed, and
called on "all parties to recommit as a matter of the highest
priority to a peaceful resolution to the conflict as the government
and rebel movements prepare for peace talks in Libya on Oct. 27 and
the AU and United Nations prepare to deploy a joint peace operation
in Darfur."
The UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) also decried the incident, which
it termed as "unprovoked and barbaric" by an armed group.
"UNMIS is shocked at the unprecedented scale of the attack," it
said in a statement issued Sunday.
The mission, which also reiterated that attacks on AMIS
constituted a serious violation of international law and relevant
resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and the AU,
urged "all concerned to assist in identifying the perpetrators so
that they could be held accountable without delay."
(Xinhua News Agency October 1, 2007)
