African Union (AU) peacekeepers killed three Darfur rioters today when a crowd of angry refugees threatened to break into their base in the town of El Geneina, a UN official said.

At least 20 civilians are dead after Sudanese militiamen ambushed a convoy of refugees in western Darfur, the UN said today.

Darfurian rebels have partially destroyed an oil field in a rare eastward extension of their campaign toward central Sudan, the rebels and government said.

Sudan has agreed in principle to allow a joint United Nations and African Union peacekeeping force into Darfur.

A visiting American senior official has said his visit to a displaced persons camp in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region was “very disturbing” and said neither Sudan, the United Nations nor the international community were doing enough to address the crisis.