Darfur rebels slaughter 12 peacekeepers

October 1, 2007

New York - An African Union peacekeeping base in Sudan's Darfur region was stormed by a large group of rebels on Sunday, killing at least 12 and injuring at least eight others.

An African Union peacekeeping base in Sudan's Darfur region was stormed by a large group of rebels on Sunday, killing at least 12 and injuring at least eight others.

Around 25 AU peacekeepers are still missing after the overnight attack.

It is the deadliest single attack on the peacekeepers since they began their mission in late 2004.

Earlier this month, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Sudan's foreign minister announced that Darfur's rebel groups have been invited to join in peace talks with Sudan's government on October 27 in the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

Only one rebel group signed an AU-brokered peace agreement in May 2006. That pact has done little to stop the fighting between government-backed militias and rebel groups, which the United Nations estimates have killed more than 200,000 people and driven about 2 million from their homes in the past four years.