Gunmen injure peacekeeper in Darfur attack

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Gunmen have opened fire on joint U.N./African Union peacekeepers in Sudan's Darfur region, wounding one in the leg, the force said on Tuesday.

The Nigerian police unit was attacked in Ardamata, close to the men's camp in the west Darfur capital of El Geneina, on Monday afternoon, the UNAMID force said in a statement.

The unit's commander, who was shot in the leg, was in a stable condition in hospital, it added.

Law and order has collapsed in Darfur since mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms against Sudan's government in 2003, accusing Khartoum of marginalising the western region. Sudan's government mobilised mostly-Arab militias to crush the rebellion.

Sixteen peacekeepers have been killed in hostile incidents in Darfur since UNAMID took over from a beleaguered African Union force at the beginning of the year. The force is supposed to keep the peace in a region about the size of Spain.