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From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Wed Aug 03 2011 - 11:16:26 EDT
UN says four peacekeepers killed in Sudan's Abyei
Tue Aug 2, 2011 4:48pm GMT
UNITED NATIONS Aug 2 (Reuters) - Four Ethiopian U.N. peacekeepers were
killed on Tuesday by a landmine in Sudan's disputed Abyei region, the first
deaths suffered by the new blue-helmeted force in the territory, a U.N.
spokesman said.
"The Secretary-General (Ban Ki-moon) is saddened by the death of four
peacekeepers serving in the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei
who were killed by a landmine detonation during a patrol in Mabok, southeast
of Abyei town," U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said.
Seven other peacekeepers were wounded in the explosion, he said.
In response to escalating fighting there, the U.N. Security Council in June
authorized the deployment of 4,200 Ethiopian troops to the Abyei region for
six months.
North and South Sudan both hope to include Abyei in their territory. South
Sudan seceded from the north to form a new nation on July 9 in line with the
results of a January referendum held as part of a 2005 peace deal that ended
decades of civil war between the north and south.
Khartoum and Juba have yet to agree on who will control Abyei, stirring
fears a long-running quarrel over the region could sour the secession and
could spark a broader conflict. (Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by
Philip Barbara)
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