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BBC: Darfur attack kills peacekeepers
An attack on an African Union army base in the Sudanese region of Darfur has reportedly killed 12 peacekeepers.
The casualties were the most serious losses suffered by the AU mission since it arrived in 2003, a spokesman said.
South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu is due to arrive in Sudan on Sunday, leading a group of elder statesmen and women to discuss peace in Darfur.
It is not yet clear whether government or rebel troops were responsible for the attack on the AU base on Sunday.
The government and rebels blamed each other for the incident, which also left 25 people injured.
About 7,000 African Union troops are deployed in Darfur on a limited mandate.
The UN Security Council has approved a 26,000-strong peacekeeping force to expand the current AU force, which has been struggling to protect civilians.
Archbishop Tutu’s delegation, which is due to arrive in the Sudanese capital on Sunday, is the latest initiative to bring peace to Darfur.
The group includes the former UN special envoy to Iraq, Lakhdar Brahimi, the former US President Jimmy Carter, and Graca Machel, a children’s rights advocate and the wife of Nelson Mandela.
The group of retired elder statesmen, independent of any government or international organisation, came together at Mr Mandela’s invitation to find ways to tackle some of the world’s toughest problems, such as HIV-Aids, poverty and conflict.
The BBC’s Amber Henshaw in Khartoum says it is no coincidence that Darfur is the focus of the group’s first mission.
At least 200,000 people have died and some 2m have been forced from their homes during the four-year conflict.
The delegation will meet President Omar al-Bashir and others in Khartoum before travelling to Juba, capital of southern Sudan.
They will then travel to Darfur where they will meet community leaders and displaced people living in camps.
Permanent Link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7020596.stm
Published: 2007/09/30 11:33:20 GMT