A helicopter with the UN-African peacekeeping mission in Darfur was shot at during a routine mission and forced to return to its airfield, a spokesman for the force said on Monday.
The incident came as special US envoy to Sudan, Richard Williamson, was visiting a different part of the arid, wartorn region, some 300km away.
UNAMID spokesman Noureddine Mezni said the helicopter came under fire half an hour into its mission, damaging the radio system and the rear of the aircraft, according to an initial inspection.
There were no casualties and the helicopter made it back to El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur.
Mezni said it was not immediately clear who attacked the helicopter.
A Sudanese security official in West Darfur, however, said the aircraft was hit by rebels from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), who operate in the region. Speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, the official said the aircraft had “deviated” from its course.
There was no way to independently confirm the report and there was no immediate comment from the rebel group.
JEM has emerged as the most effective rebel group in Darfur fighting government troops.
The joint UN-African Union peacekeeping mission in the Darfur region has often come under attack from armed gunmen in the region.
An ambush on its forces last month killed seven peacekeepers.
Williamson is visiting El Fasher in North Darfur Province, where he met UNAMID senior officials at the mission’s headquarters .
Mission deputy commander Major General Emmanuelle Karenzi said the meeting with Williamson lasted for 40 minutes, during which he was briefed on ways to speed up and enhance the force deployment. He didn’t elaborate.
“[Williamson] expressed his support for the mission and concern over the fact deployment is so slow,” Karenzi said in a telephone interview.
The force took over peacekeeping duties in Darfur in January from a beleaguered AU force to try to stem the violence, but eight months after its deployment it is still operating with about one-third of its authorized 26,000.
It also lacks any combat and rescue helicopters, possessing only 27 commercially leased transport models.
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