AU condemns Darfur attack on African peacekeepers

September 30, 2007 (ADDIS ABABA) — The African Union strongly condemned Sunday a “heinous” attack on its troops in Sudan’s Darfur region in which at least 10 peacekeepers died, and said the perpetrators should be punished.

“The AU condemns in the strongest terms this unprovoked attack. We believe strongly that the group involved should bear the full responsibility of this heinous attack,” AU security chief Said Djinnit said.

“The force commander has been there early this morning to assess the situation on the ground and our representative, Rodolphe Adada, will be in Darfur tomorrow,” he added.

Adada, the AU-UN joint special envoy for Darfur, said earlier he was “profoundly shocked and appalled by the outrageous and deliberate attack” which came just weeks ahead of talks in Tripoli in a bid to end the Darfur conflict.

The African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) said at least 10 peacekeepers were killed and 50 personnel were missing after a “sustained attack by a large and organised group of heavily armed men” on the southern Haskanita base Saturday.

Conflict in Darfur, combined with the effects of famine, has left at least 200,000 people dead and two million displaced since Khartoum enlisted Janjaweed Arab militia allies to put down an ethnic minority revolt in 2003.

The under-equipped African force of around 7,000 troops from 26 countries patrolling the region, which is the size of France, is due to start being replaced later this year by a hybrid 26,000-strong AU-UN force.

(AFP)