TANZANIAN FALLEN PEACEKEEPERS ACCORDED A HEROES SEND OFF IN DARFUR

By Saidi Msonda, Darfur

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.





                      Top Sector leadership led by Mr. Hussain (3rd R)

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.



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

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”. 



A portion of  staff members at the ceremony

The TPDF Spokesperson,
Lt. Col. KapambalaMgawe, 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.





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



                       Prayers from an Imam for the fallen peacekeepers




                                        Prayers from a chaplain



                                 Prayers from another  chaplain



          Maj. Elinami Moshi reads brief CVs of the deceased to the top brass



                                           A section of the top brass



                           
                                                 Last Post




                                               Start of the last journey home