Pretoria - Two South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members have been injured during an ambush near the South African Battalion Base in Kutum, in the northern Darfur region of Sudan.
The soldiers are from the 4 South African Infantry Battalion (4 SAI Bn) and were deployed as part of the United Nations/African Union peacekeeping force in Sudan.
The injured soldiers were airlifted by helicopter to the hospital in El Fashir shortly after the ambush.
The two members are in a critical but stable condition in the UN hospital. Two other members also sustained minor injuries during the ambush, however, they are back at the base and are doing well.
The ambush took place at approximately 12h35 on Wednesday when the section from the SANDF Battalion, who had gone to fetch water from a nearby waterhole in Kutum, came under fire from a suspected rebel group.
"Had it not been for the swift reaction, high standard of alertness and vigilance of the SANDF members, it could have been a different story," said the Battalion Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Andries Matlaila.
"The training the troops received in South Africa prior to the deployment, coupled with the equipment they used, played a pivotal role in repelling the attack.”
“The rebel group, whose intentions are unknown, was forced to withdraw due to the outstanding retaliation by the South Africans.”
The attack followed shortly after similar attacks earlier on Ethiopian and Tanzanian forces in the vicinity of Korma, about 20 kilometres away from the South African deployments near the Kutum base.
The incident happened at a time when the Sudanese people are preparing for their national elections, which are scheduled for April/May 2015. As part of the peacekeeping force, the SANDF will be required to support Sudan during elections.
“The SANDF remains positive and will render its continued support to the people of Sudan as part of our contribution to a safe and free Africa for all,” Matlaila said. – SAnews.gov.za
