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Letter to the editor

Rebels raid Darfur base,killing 10 peacekeepers

The unprecedented attack could endanger talks planned this month.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published October 1, 2007

HASKANITA, Sudan - Rebel forces stormed a small African Union base in northern Darfur and killed 10 peacekeepers in an unprecedented attack on the beleaguered mission that threatened key peace talks set for this month.

Ten others were wounded and dozens were missing after about 1,000 rebels from the Sudan Liberation Army attacked the base in Haskanita late Saturday and eventually stormed it early Sunday, AU peacekeepers said in Haskanita.

The remaining AU peacekeepers were evacuated from the base under the protection of the Sudanese army, who routed the rebels out of the area.

"This is the heaviest loss of life and the biggest attack on the African Union mission," said AU spokesman Noureddine Mezni. "Our troops fought a defensive battle to protect the camp, but 30 vehicles eventually stormed it. ... The camp is completely destroyed."

The Darfur situation had been expected to improve after U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon visited Sudan early in September and announced new negotiations with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to settle the conflict that has killed at least 200,000 people and displaced 2.5-million.

But Darfur rebels have grown increasingly hostile to the AU peacekeepers, saying the force is not neutral and favors the government side.

The raid represents the first time since the 7,000-strong AU mission was deployed in June 2004 that one of its bases has been overrun, though soldiers have been regularly attacked. Several ambushes of AU forces in the past year have been blamed on the rebels.

The rebels did not comment on the latest attack, nor did the Sudanese military.

Speaking in Ethiopia, the AU's top peace and security official, Said Djinnit, said 10 peacekeepers were killed in the attack, 10 were wounded and about 30 remained missing.

The underfunded AU force has been unable to stem the fighting in the war-torn western region and will soon be merged into a much more powerful AU-U.N. joint force. The first units of the 26,000-strong force will be deployed this month.

[Last modified October 1, 2007, 00:38:18]