Official seeks arrests for Darfur killings

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- An International Criminal Court prosecutor has asked judges to issue arrest warrants for three rebel commanders blamed for killing peacekeepers in Sudan.

Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo on Thursday presented evidence of the commanders' roles in the killing of 12 African Union peacekeepers the Darfur region of Sudan, the Guardian of Lagos, Nigeria, reported Friday.

The newspaper reported that the killings were part of a series of attacks against peacekeepers.

"There are reasonable grounds to believe that these rebel commanders bear criminal responsibility ... for murder, intentionally directing attacks against personnel and objects involved in a peacekeeping mission and pillaging," Moreno-Ocampo said.

The United Nations says up to 300,000 people have died in the Darfur conflict and more than 2.2 million have fled their homes since February 2003.