South Africa condemns attack on peacekeepers in Sudan's Darfur

The South African government on Thursday condemned the attack on a UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) convoy in Sudan, calling for an immediate investigation into it. The ambush by unknown militants on Wednesday left a South African peacekeeper dead and three others injured. "The Government of South Africa condemns, in the strongest terms, the ambush and attack on a UNAMID convoy in Darfur," the South African government said in a statement. The South African government urged the Sudanese government to fully cooperate with the UN investigations into the attack to make the perpetrators face the full might of the law. "The alarming rise in violence in recent weeks in Darfur is of great concern, as this incident follows just days after four Nigerian peacekeepers were killed in a similar attack," the government said. The South African government extended its condolences to the family of the slain peacekeeper. South Africa urged all parties in Sudan to engage constructively in efforts to bring peace to Darfur and the whole of Sudan. The South African Embassy in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum has started engaging with relevant organizations to send the remains of the soldier back to the country and to ensure that those injured receive urgent medical treatment. A total of 43 peacekeepers have been killed so far since the deployment of UNAMID in Sudan by the end of 2007.