UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday strongly condemned the killing of five Indian Army personnel in an attack on a convoy of a UN mission in South Sudan, saying that such an act was a war crime and its perpetrators should be brought to justice. Five Indian Army personnel, including a Lt Colonel were killed on Tuesday and four injured during the UN peacekeeping mission when their 32-member convoy was attacked in Gurmuck in the volatile state of Jonglei.
The Secretary-General is 'appalled' by the attack on a convoy of a UN Mission in South Sudan in Gumuruk, Jonglei state, earlier on Tuesday morning, a statement issued by Ban's spokesperson here said. "He condemns in the strongest terms the killing of five Indian peacekeepers and two UNMISS national staff and five civilian staff contractors," the statement said.
Nine other persons were also injured in the attack, and some are in critical condition. Ban said killing of peacekeepers is a war crime that falls under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court and the South Sudanese government should bring the perpetrators of the attack to justice. Ban also expressed his deepest condolences to the Indian government and to the families of the peacekeepers, staff members and contractors killed in the attack, the statement said. There are around 2,200 Indian Army personnel comprising two battalions, one based in Jonglei and the other in Malakkal, Upper Nile, on the border with Sudan.
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