Ambush kills two African Union soldiers in Darfur

KHARTOUM, Aug 19 (Reuters) Two African Union soldiers were killed and three injured in an ambush on one of their convoys in Sudan's Darfur region today, an AU statement said.

Around 7,000 AU soldiers are struggling to stop violence in Darfur that has only increased since the signing of an AU-brokered peace deal in May between the government and one rebel faction.

''The African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) condemns in the strongest possible terms this outrageous attack against its forces in Darfur and intends to carry (out) a thorough investigation,'' the statement said.

The attack targeted a convoy carrying fuel in the Kuma area around 80 kilometres (50 miles) northeast of Darfur's main town of el-Fasher. The area is under the control of rebels who did not sign the May peace deal, but the AU said it was not clear who the attackers were.

One AU source said the soldiers who were attacked were from Rwanda. Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa supply the majority of the soldiers in the AU force.

Only one of three rebel negotiating factions signed the AU deal, and tens of thousands of Darfuris have protested against the accord, saying they want more compensation for war victims, more political posts and a monitoring role in disarming Arab militia, known as Janjaweed.

Tens of thousands have been killed and 2.5 million forced from their homes since mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms in early 2003 accusing the central government of neglect.

This week the AU expelled non-signatory rebel representatives from its camps, saying it could no longer guarantee their safety because the government called them terrorists after some of the groups formed a new alliance which has attacked the government since the May deal.

The non-signatories said that in doing this the AU had terminated a shaky truce signed in April 2004 by all the parties to the conflict.

REUTERS SK PM0046