Darfur town destroyed in revenge attack

A Darfur town under the control of Sudanese troops has been razed in apparent retaliation for a suspected rebel attack on a nearby African Union peacekeeping base, the UN said today.

The town of Haskanita “which is currently under the control of the government, was completely burned down, except for a few buildings,” the UN mission to Sudan said in a statement.

The UN did not say who set fire to the town but said Sudanese government forces took control of the area last week after suspected Darfur rebels attacked the nearby AU base a week ago, killing 10 peacekeepers.

UN officials said the burning began Wednesday but observers were unable to obtain first-hand confirmation until today.

“The market area had been looted,” the UN statement said. It said most civilians had fled after the September 29 attack on the base but a few had returned to search for food and water.