Darfur: AU peacekeepers killed
2006-08-19 21:00
Khartoum - Two Rwandan peacekeepers were killed and four wounded when unidentified gunmen ambushed their convoy in North Darfur on Saturday.
The six peacekeepers had been escorting a fuel convoy from El-Nahud to El-Fasher, said African Union Mission in Sudan spokesperson Mousa Hamani.
He said the attack was "a clear breach" of truce agreements in the war-ravaged western region.
"Two soldiers were killed and four others were injured," said Hamani.
"Two of them sustained serious injuries and were flown to Khartoum for medical treatment, while the other two are now being treated at a medical centre in El-Fasher. All of the six were from the Rwandese contingent."
The AU "condemns in the strongest possible terms this outrageous attack against its forces in Darfur," read a statement from the peacekeeping mission.
The AU has a 7 000-strong force in Darfur, but it has struggled to monitor truce violations and is under pressure to hand over to the United Nations.
The AU said three of its soldiers were killed by Sudan Liberation Army rebels in October. An AU peacekeeper was killed in an ambush in Darfur on May 29.
The mainstream faction of the SLA signed a peace agreement with the government in Abuja in May, but other factions refused to sign.
About 300 000 people have died and 2.4 million have fled their homes since civil war broke out in 2003.
- AFP