DARFUR - The chairman AU commission, Jean Ping has condemned two ambushes in which five Rwandan troops of the African Union-United Nations mission in Darfur (UNAMID) were killed.

The peacekeepers died in two separate incidents after coming under fire in North Darfur, on Friday and Saturday.
In a statement, Ping condemned the attacks and extended his condolences to the bereaved families, to the Rwandan people and to the government.

"The chairperson would like to pay a well-deserved tribute to all the countries that are engaged in this endeavour, risking the lives of their fellow citizens, in the name of solidarity and indivisibility of the international peace and security,’ a statement from Ping reads.

Military spokesperson, Maj. Jill Rutaremara, said the bodies of the deceased are expected to be repatriated at the end of the week for burial.

"It will take about five days – right now the bodies are in Khartoum. There are procedures, involving UNAMID, the Khartoum government, and even New York,” Maj. Rutaremara said yesterday.

The Sudanese government has also issued a statement condemning the deadly attacks, and referring the incidents as "a criminal act and terrorist activity which targeted the international peacekeeping force in the region to suggest to the international public opinion that the security conditions in Darfur are still disturbed.”

Sudanese authorities earlier announced that they have arrested a number of gunmen suspected of killing the Rwandan peacekeepers.

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