7 U.N. peacekeepers killed in Darfur

SHANGIL TOBAYI, Sudan, July 9 (UPI) -- Seven peacekeepers were killed and 22 more were wounded in a militia attack in Sudan's Darfur region Wednesday, U.N. officials said.

Seven of the wounded soldiers were listed in critical condition, the United Nations said in a news release. The attack began about 2:45 p.m. and lasted for more than two hours, U.N. officials said.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the deadly ambush on the joint U.N.-African Union patrol by unidentified militia between Gusa Jamat and Wadah in North Darfur.

"The secretary-general condemns in the strongest possible terms this unacceptable act of extreme violence against (African Union)-U.N. peacekeepers in Darfur and calls on the government of Sudan to do its utmost to ensure that the perpetrators are swiftly identified and brought to justice," a spokesman for Ban said in a statement.

U.N. General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim also issued a statement through a spokesman expressing shock and outrage at the incident. Peacekeepers are often targeted by "janjaweed" militias in Darfur, where they are trying to protect African civilians from nomadic militias, supported by Sudan's government.

Since 2003 the United Nations says more than 4 million people have been affected by war in Darfur with 2 1/2 million people forced from their homes and more than 300,000 killed. Sudan's government disputes those numbers, claiming 10,000 have died.