Sudan

Two members of French aid organisation killed in south Darfur

Article published on the 2009-02-23 Latest update 2009-02-24 09:34 TU

Aime Médicale Internationale

Two Sudanese members of a French aid group were killed at the weekend during an attack. Men on horses and camels attacked the people on a road between Kurunji and Khor Abeshe in south Darfur.

The two victims were health workers for the French humanitarian organisation Aide Médicale Internationale and were on their way back from a clinic.

“There was a truck carrying a lot of people and they were stopped by 24 armed men that came on camel and horseback, they were suspected to be militia men, but nobody could tell really what militia,” says Kamel Saiki, a spokesperson for the Unamid joint forces.

The French organisation, which is funded by the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office and the Aid Delegation of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has 200 local staff members and is working to provide emergency support and access to healthcare for displaced people.

“Unfortunately, it is a typical case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, they wandered into an ongoing act of banditry,” Saiki told RFI.

Highway robbery is a problem on the roads of Darfur and the UN says more than 200 vehicles were attacked last year.

Earlier in February, the government and rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement signed an agreement in Qatar, which intends to act as the basis of a peace talks.

“I don’t think there was a deliberate targeting of these people […] this illustrates the conditions we have in this part of Sudan,” Saiki added.