AU extends Darfur force for 6 months - AU delegate

ABUJA, Dec1 (Reuters) The African Union will extend for six months the mandate of its peacekeeping force in Sudan's troubled Darfur region, a delegate to the AU's peace and security council meeting in Abuja said.

Yesterday, the delegate said the commander of the AU force would be appointed by the AU in consultation with the United Nations and the Sudanese government, which has refused to accept the deployment of UN peacekeepers in Darfur.

REUTERS SBA BST0531