Johannesburg -
The SA peacekeeper killed in an ambush in Darfur, Sudan, by unidentified attackers on Wednesday was Private Vincent Mthuthuzeli van der Walt from Klerksdorp, Brigadier-General Xolani Mabanga, spokesman for the Department of Defence, said.
Two other SA soldiers, Corporal Kabelo Ronald Sebe and Private Thabiso Sydwell Makhetha, had been injured, but not critically, and were treated in Darfur and did not need to be brought to SA for treatment, Mabanga added.
UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, the UN Security Council and the SA government have condemned the shooting and called on the Sudanese government to investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The US ambassador to SA, Donald Gips, expressed America’s sympathy for Van der Walt’s family, wished Sebe and Makhetha a swift recovery and commended SA for its dedication to bringing peace to Africa.
“The government of South Africa condemns, in the strongest terms, the ambush and attack on a Unamid convoy in North Darfur,” the Department of International Relations and Co-operation said.
It gave the SA casualties as one dead and three severely wounded – as opposed to the Defence Department’s statement that one soldier died and two others were wounded, but not critically.
“The government is deeply disturbed by the incident and extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved family,” it said.
“The South African government joins the call by the United Nations secretary-general for an immediate investigation into the attack and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. [It] counts on the Sudanese government to co-operate fully with the UN in this investigation.
“The alarming rise in violence in recent weeks in Darfur is of great concern, as this incident follows just days after four Nigerian peacekeepers were killed in a similar attack.
“It is deeply disheartening that the South African peacekeepers came under fire while on their way to investigate the heightened spate of attacks in the Hashaba North district of Darfur.”
Citing the Unamid force commander, the Department of International Relations and Co-operation said an “assessment mission” of 16 vehicles led by the deputy force commander were making their way to Hashaba North when the convoy was ambushed 10km from its destination.
“It is disconcerting that the peace deal reached between the Liberation and Justice Movement and the Sudanese government last year has yet to take effect and that most opposition and rebel movements remain outside the peace processes, perpetuating instability in Darfur,” the department said.
“South Africa has taken note that renewed talks have begun this week in Doha, Qatar, and calls on all parties to engage constructively in the process to bring Darfur and Sudan as a whole to peace.”
Foreign Service