Rioters killed by Darfur peacekeepers

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.

The refugees were protesting at the base on Sunday, a day after 30 of their relatives were executed by pro-government Janjaweed fighters.

They protested against the African Union for what they say is the peacekeeping force’s failure to protect them.

Peacekeepers opened fire on the protesters when they threatened the base, killing three, said the UN official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

An African Union officer in El Geneina said that only two people had died, and that the peacekeepers opened fire because fighters carrying rocket-propelled grenades were seen among the crowd.

The 7,000-member AU force has been too understaffed and under-equipped to halt increasing violence in Darfur, where more than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million driven from their homes in three years of conflict.