Armed robbers shot dead a United Nations officer in Sudan’s Darfur region, officials said on Saturday, the first U.N. military death in the arid region where conflict has killed more than 200,000 since 2003.
The death came as Sudan said it would consider a plan for a Darfur hybrid peacekeeping force endorsed by the U.N. Security Council on Friday that calls for more than 23,000 troops and police to protect civilians and use force to deter violence.
The officer, identified by Egypt’s Foreign Ministry as Lieutenant Colonel Ihab Ahmed, was part of a U.N. light support package to assist roughly 7,000 African Union peacekeepers trying to quell violence in Sudan’s west.
Khartoum denies the United Nations estimate that 200,000 have been killed in the conflict and says 9,000 have died.
The United Nations said three gunmen in civilian clothes broke into a private house in Darfur’s main town of el-Fasher shared by eight U.N. staff on Friday. The house was located near AU headquarters there, an AU spokesman said.
“After taking money and valuables from the other occupants of the house, the armed men moved to the victim’s room and demanded money from him,” a U.N. statement said.
It said the officer handed over all the money he had but ”the attackers then shot him.” He died of his wounds early on Saturday.
The United Nations said it would take “urgent measures” to prevent future attacks and would cooperate with authorities to find the killers and hold them accountable.
African Union spokesman Noureddine Mezni said initial reports indicated the killing was a criminal act but, he said, investigations were still ongoing.
The acting head of the African Union mission in Sudan, Monique Mukaruliza, “expressed her shock and condemned the killing in the strongest terms,” Mezni said.
Sudan to review proposals
The U.N. Security Council endorsed 40 pages of plans on Friday for a so-called “hybrid” AU-U.N. force for Darfur, where aid workers say security has worsened because of attacks by Arab militias known as Janjaweed, rebel activities and bandits.
Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ali al-Sadig said Khartoum would review the proposals: “This issue is under consideration now in Khartoum. I am sure it is going to be carefully studied.”
The proposals were handed by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to Sudan’s U.N. ambassador for approval. Sadig said it would take several days to review them and formulate a position.
Top Sudanese officials have said the number of troops was too large and the United Nations should finance and augment the AU force of 7,000 with logistics, command and control functions.
“The operation should be African in nature. The troops should be African. But there is room for the United Nations to bring in experience,” Sadig said.
The proposals, from the United Nations and the African Union, have two troop options: one with 19,500 troops composed of 18 infantry battalions, and another with 17,605 troops with 15 infantry battalions.
Police would include 3,772 officers and perhaps an extra 2,500 men to establish a local police force in refugee camps.
One of the main tasks is to provide security to the tens of thousands living in camps and to patrol humanitarian routes and possibly escort aid convoys that have been attacked regularly by armed groups and militia, the document said.
The United Nations says more than 2 million have been driven from their homes since conflict flared in 2003 when Darfur rebels took up arms against the state, complaining of neglect.
