UNITED NATIONS - The UN Security Council strongly condemned Wednesday the attack by unidentified armed men on an African Union-United Nations mission (UNAMID) patrol, in which one South African peacekeeper was killed and three were wounded.

In a press statement issued by the Council, the members of the Security Council expressed their condolences to the family of the peacekeeper killed in the attack, as well as to the government of South Africa and to UNAMID.

"They called on the government of Sudan to swiftly investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice," said the statement.

"The members of the Security Council reiterated their full support for UNAMID and called on all parties in Darfur to cooperate with the mission," it said.

According to a statement issued by the UNAMID, the incident occurred on Wednesday morning, approximately 10 km from Hashaba North in northern Darfur. It took place while a UNAMID convoy was on its way to Hashaba North to assess the situation following recent reports of violence in that area.

Since the initial deployment of UNAMID on Dec 31, 2007, 43 peacekeepers have been killed as a result of hostile actions.