Five African peacekeepers killed in Darfur
Khartoum, April 02: Gunmen killed five African peacekeepers in Darfur in the deadliest attack to hit the embattled contingent since it was first deployed in the western Sudanese region in 2004, a spokesman said on Monday.
The deadly shooting came against a backdrop of renewed violence in Darfur and a day after a helicopter carrying the pan-African force's deputy commander came under fire.
"The AMIS (African Mission in Sudan) Protection Force soldiers were attacked by armed men as they guarded a watering point in Umm Barru in northwest Darfur," spokesman Nureddin Mezni told reporters.
The attack near the Chadian border took place late yesterday.
"Four were killed and one seriously injured while the attackers lost three combatants," Mezni said.
He added that the wounded soldier died today of his injuries after "severe weather conditions" made evacuation impossible.
According to Mezni, the attack brought to 15 the number of African union troops killed in Darfur since they were first deployed in 2004. Another soldier has been missing for months.
Mezni condemned the killing, deploring the fact that "African soldiers who came to help restore peace in Darfur should be targeted in such attacks".
"We are shocked by this unprovoked attack," he said.
The AMIS spokesman gave no immediate indication as to who might have been behind the shooting.
Bureau Report
Defence spending aids South Asian poverty - group
02 Apr 2007 12:28:20 GMT
Source: Reuters
NEW DELHI, April 2 (Reuters) - South Asian nations need to cut defence spending and increase funding for women and children's welfare, healthcare and education to curb poverty in one of the world's poorest regions, activists said on Monday.
The call by a coalition of about 200 voluntary groups -- representing women, tribal people, trade unions and refugees -- came on the eve of a summit in New Delhi of a regional grouping which aims to boost trade and development.
The group, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, or SAARC, includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. Afghanistan is set to join it as the eighth member during the April 3-4 conference.
But the People's SAARC, as the coalition is called, urged the governments to cut defence spending by 10 percent.
"We realise that the lavish spending on weapons by poor South Asian countries is one of the major causes of rampant poverty in the region," Arjun Karki, a coordinator of the coalition, told a news conference.
"We also demand that India and Pakistan stop the arms race and give up nuclear weapons, which pose a great threat to the 1.5 billion inhabitants of this peaceful region."
India raised its defence budget by nearly 8 percent to $22 billion this year while its traditional rival Pakistan increased it by nearly 4 percent to $4.2 billion in 2006 despite their new moves to make peace.
Activists said money spent on arms not only fuelled tensions in the region but also diverted crucial funds meant for development
Khartoum, April 02: Gunmen killed five African peacekeepers in Darfur in the deadliest attack to hit the embattled contingent since it was first deployed in the western Sudanese region in 2004, a spokesman said on Monday.
The deadly shooting came against a backdrop of renewed violence in Darfur and a day after a helicopter carrying the pan-African force's deputy commander came under fire.
"The AMIS (African Mission in Sudan) Protection Force soldiers were attacked by armed men as they guarded a watering point in Umm Barru in northwest Darfur," spokesman Nureddin Mezni told reporters.
The attack near the Chadian border took place late yesterday.
"Four were killed and one seriously injured while the attackers lost three combatants," Mezni said.
He added that the wounded soldier died today of his injuries after "severe weather conditions" made evacuation impossible.
According to Mezni, the attack brought to 15 the number of African union troops killed in Darfur since they were first deployed in 2004. Another soldier has been missing for months.
Mezni condemned the killing, deploring the fact that "African soldiers who came to help restore peace in Darfur should be targeted in such attacks".
"We are shocked by this unprovoked attack," he said.
The AMIS spokesman gave no immediate indication as to who might have been behind the shooting.
Bureau Report
Defence spending aids South Asian poverty - group
02 Apr 2007 12:28:20 GMT
Source: Reuters
NEW DELHI, April 2 (Reuters) - South Asian nations need to cut defence spending and increase funding for women and children's welfare, healthcare and education to curb poverty in one of the world's poorest regions, activists said on Monday.
The call by a coalition of about 200 voluntary groups -- representing women, tribal people, trade unions and refugees -- came on the eve of a summit in New Delhi of a regional grouping which aims to boost trade and development.
The group, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, or SAARC, includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. Afghanistan is set to join it as the eighth member during the April 3-4 conference.
But the People's SAARC, as the coalition is called, urged the governments to cut defence spending by 10 percent.
"We realise that the lavish spending on weapons by poor South Asian countries is one of the major causes of rampant poverty in the region," Arjun Karki, a coordinator of the coalition, told a news conference.
"We also demand that India and Pakistan stop the arms race and give up nuclear weapons, which pose a great threat to the 1.5 billion inhabitants of this peaceful region."
India raised its defence budget by nearly 8 percent to $22 billion this year while its traditional rival Pakistan increased it by nearly 4 percent to $4.2 billion in 2006 despite their new moves to make peace.
Activists said money spent on arms not only fuelled tensions in the region but also diverted crucial funds meant for development
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