A Senegalese military officer has died after being shot in Darfur whilst serving with the African Union peacekeeping force in the troubled Sudanese region, the Senegalese armed forces said Wednesday.
Lieutenant Commander Pape Lamine Ndiaye was shot in the leg on December 27 "during a hold-up by unidentified armed men" in El Fasher, in northern Darfur, said the armed forces press service in a statement.
He was airlifted to the Sudanese capital Khartoum, 850 kilometres away, for medical treatment, but died on Monday.
Senegal's AU contingent in Darfur has suffered a number of casualties, including five soliders killed in April 2007 in an attack blamed by Dakar on Sudan Liberation Army rebels.
In October 2007, a Senegalese police officer was among nine AU peacekeepers killed in an armed attack.
UN officials say up to 300,000 people have died and more than 2.2 million have been displaced since Darfur ethnic rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated government in 2003, complaining of discrimination.
Khartoum puts the number of dead at 10,000.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
