WANAJESHI SABA WA TANZANIA WALIOUWAWA DAFUR WAAGWA KIJESHI

Capt. John Kivunge, a Tanzanian Staff Officer with JOC, reads a program of the brief ceremony.

Prayers from a chaplain.

Prayers…

Capt. John Kivunge, a Tanzanian Staff Officer with JOC, reads a program of the brief ceremony.

Prayers from a chaplain.
Prayers from an Imam for the fallen peacekeepers.

Military salute as the 'Last Post'  rings out by Nigbatt in honour of the fallen heroes.

Start of the last journey home.

Hundreds of UNAMID Sector South HQ staff members led by Head of Office Mr. Imtiaz Hussain today attended a brief ceremony at the Pakistan Level III Hospital in Nyala to pay their final respects to the seven Tanzanian peacekeepers who were killed near Khor Abeche in an ambush by unidentified gunmen on Saturday 13 July 2013. Their bodies were flown today to Khartoum en route to Tanzania.

UNAMID JSR Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas along with Acting Force Commander Lt. Gen. Wynjones Kisamba and Police Commissioner Ms. Hester Adriana Paneras visited the other 17 injured peacekeepers at the same Hospital yesterday.

The Mission leadership and the UNSG Ban Ki-moon have condemned the act and called for the Government of Sudan to bring the perpetrators of the “heinous” act to justice. Meanwhile, according to press reports, Tanzanian President JakayaKikwete expressed his deep shock following the incident and he sent condolences to the Tanzania People’s Defense Forces (TPDF) and the bereaved families.

He wished quick recovery for the injured soldiers, saying: “I don’t have a lot of words to express my shock and sadness on the soldiers who died while on a very important mission of United Nations, on keeping peace in an area where thousands of people have been killed…” Mr. Kikwete said in a statement issued by the Directorate of Presidential Communications yesterday, adding; “since the fallen servicemen and women were deployed in Darfur in February this year and since Tanzania  started deploying troops in 2007, they have done a good work and the country is proud of them”.

The TPDF Spokesperson, Lt. Col. Kapambala Mgawe, said during a press conference yesterday that a special delegation has been sent to Khartoum and Darfur to talk with the authorities over the incident. Tanzania has a battalion of about 850 peacekeepers in Darfur located at Khor Abeche and Menawashi, South Darfur State.