Ban Ki-moon calls for probe into murder of peacekeeper in southern Sudan

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned today’s killing of an Indian peacekeeper serving with the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) and called for an investigation into the attack in the country’s south.

The unnamed peacekeeper was shot dead by unidentified attackers earlier today while escorting a de-mining team near the town of Magwe in southern Sudan, where UNMIS has been operating since 2005 to oversee the implementation of a peace pact ending a 21-year civil war. Two other Indian peacekeepers were also injured.

Mr. Ban “extends his condolences to the Government of India and to the family of the deceased soldier and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured,” his spokesman said in a statement. Mr. Ban also called on all Sudanese parties to cooperate with the UN in any inquiry into the murder.

Earlier this month, Emmanuel Chaku Joseph, a Sudanese national who served as a driver for the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in the south, was shot dead during a roadside ambush on the road between the regional capital of Juba and the town of Torit.

There are some 8,700 troops, 680 police officers and 590 military observers serving with UNMIS.