One African peacekeeper killed in Darfur – AU

April 10, 2007 (CAIRO) — Unidentified gunmen attacked an African Union peacekeeper patrol in the Darfur region of western Sudan on Tuesday, killing one and injuring two, the African Union said.

The attack occurred at Kube Water Point near Sortony in North Darfur and one of the peacekeepers’ vehicles was taken by the attackers.

“In this new barbaric attack, three African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) protection force soldiers were seriously wounded… one of the injured soldiers later died as a result of injuries suffered during the attack,” the AU said in a statement.

It added that investigations would be carried out to identify the attackers and to determine the circumstances of the attack.

Five African Union peacekeepers were killed near Sudan’s border with Chad on April 1 after they also came under attack by gunmen.

AU officials have said their 7,000-strong force is overstretched and under-equipped to police Darfur, a region the size of France where violence has persisted despite a 2006 peace agreement between the government and one rebel faction.

Experts estimate about 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million have fled their homes since the Darfur conflict flared in 2003 when rebels took up arms against Sudan’s government, charging it with neglect. Khartoum says only 9,000 people have died.

(Reuters)