18 Mar 2009

Peacekeeper killed in ambush in Darfur

6:00 am on 18 March 2009

Eight gunmen in Sudan have attacked a group of international peacekeepers on patrol in Darfur region.

The joint United Nations/African Union force says the gunmen attacked UNAMID peacekeepers coming back from a patrol in the Darfur region on Tuesday.

One peacekeeper was killed.

It was the second such attack since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on 4 March, accusing him of war crimes in Darfur.

Four were wounded last week.

Fourteen peacekeepers have been killed in Darfur since the joint mission took over from an African Union force in January 2008.

President Bashir wants all international aid groups out of Sudan within a year, and has already expelled 13 agencies, mostly from Darfur. He accuses them of spying for the Court.

International experts say at least 200,000 people have been killed in Darfur since rebels took up arms against the government in 2003.