It has emerged that the peacekeepers of the United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) who recently freed two UN language assistants held hostage were under the command of Brig. General Komba Mondeh of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces who is currently serving the UN. They were held by the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) some 62 Kilometres from UMBARRU, the headquarters of the Senegalese Battalion 8 of Sector West under the command of Brigadier Mondeh. A UN source has told Politico in Nairobi that “the terrain was rugged and very tough going in the very large expanse of desert near the Libyan border” but that the Sierra Leonean officer was able to command his men meander their way to rescue the hostages. “This singular brave and courageous action has improved the 'battered' image of UNAMID which lost a peacekeeper from Nigeria and 4 vehicles and 22 weapons at El Daein in Sector South” the UN source went on. The Rwandan UNAMID Force Commander, Lt Gen Patrick Nyamvumba believes that of the 3 Sectors in UNAMID only Sector West commanded by brig Mondeh has the ability to take such “decisive actions where the Commander gives Personal Direct Supervision (PDS) and leads his troops in the field”.
The chief of UNAMID Ibrahim Gamabri hailed the role played by Brig Mondeh in securing the release of the patrol members and warned that "any hostile act against a UN peacekeeper, including locally recruited staff, is a violation of international humanitarian law and a possible war crime."
JEM and the Sudanese have been locked in open conflict for years, with all mediation efforts so far having proved futile.
The International Criminal Court has indicted the Sudanese leader of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur. And recently a former UN humanitarian chief made serious allegations of more killings of Darfur civilians and pillaging.
