Sudan: UN Security Council condemns attack on humanitarian convoy in Darfur

The United Nations Security Council on Friday strongly condemned an attack on a humanitarian convoy in Sudan's war-torn Darfur on Wednesday by a group of unidentified armed men.

The convoy was escorted by the African Union and United Nations peacekeepers and was travelling from Kutum to Djarido, North Darfur, the statement said.

One South African soldier was killed and another was wounded in the ambush.

"The members of the Security Council called on the Government of Sudan to swiftly conduct a full investigation into the attack and bring the perpetrators to justice," the statement said.

The attacks may constitute war crimes under international law, it added.

More than 105,000 civilians have been reportedly displaced from the Jebel Marra area in Sudan's Darfur region since mid-January 2016 due to increased hostilities, the UN Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs said. The numbers are rising on a daily basis.

South Africa's government said last month it planned to withdraw its contingent of troops from Darfur, where they have been serving as part of a large United Nations peacekeeping force trying to quell more than a decade of conflict.