Armed men kidnap 2 African Union staff in Sudan

KHARTOUM, Dec 11 (Reuters) Armed men kidnapped two African Union military personnel in Sudan, the AU said today.

''The force commander of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) is utterly dismayed at the hijacking yesterday...of an AMIS vehicle together with two military personnel by unidentified armed men,'' the AU said in a statement.

The AU called on the kidnappers to release the two and their vehicle immediately and unconditionally.

No more details were immediately available.

The AU maintains a 7,000-strong force in Sudan's Darfur region to monitor a peace agreement that has so far failed to halt violence there.

It agreed just a fortnight ago to extend the mandate of its Darfur force for six months, after Sudan rejected proposals for the deployment of a larger United Nations force to replace it.

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