Seven UNAMID Peacekeepers Killed

July 9, 2008

     According to several newspapers issued on July 9, 2008, there have been 7 UNAMID peacekeepers killed and 22 wounded by a janjaweed militia attack at Um Hakibah in North Darfur State. The UNAMID peacekeepers have been hit with a slew of attacks since taking over 6 months ago, but this has been, as of yet, the worst. Armed with 40 vehicles and heavy weaponry, reports say, gunmen ambushed the police force and army convoys. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who was flying back from the G8 summit in Japan, was quoted as saying he “condemns in the strongest possible terms this unacceptable act of extreme violence against AU-UN peacekeepers in Darfur," and the rest of the global community should as well. Unfortunately, condemning something in words is not enough.

Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy would first like to send their deepest condolences to the families of those that have lost their lives so unjustly in their pursuit of peace. It is important for the world to know that these deaths do not go unrecognized, that these men and women who are fighting for the rights of humanity are heroes. Let us not give in to the initial reaction and refrain from sending help to the people in the Darfur region, this would be giving the inhumane government exactly what it is asking for. Let us instead send more peacekeepers and more resources, enough to outmaneuver any attack that the janjaweed militia and the Sudanese government can initiate. This is what we must strive for, for it is the only way to bring peace to the people of Darfur.