U.N. team blocked in Darfur

KHARTOUM, Sudan, May 19 (UPI) -- U.N. flights to Sudan's troubled Darfur region were suspended after government-cited security concerns following an airstrike, peacekeepers said.

The hybrid U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur said it was examining the village of Sukamir in Darfur following reports of an airstrike by government forces.

The peacekeeping force said its flights were suspended by the government "until further notice" because of security concerns. "In South Darfur, restrictions on the movement of aid groups have led to the cancellation of a number of humanitarian missions," the peacekeeping mission added.

Darfur was the site of fierce fighting in 2003 that killed an estimated 300,000 people and displaced as many as 2.7 million.

The U.N. team said it met with residents in the district in the aftermath of the airstrike and found no reports of casualties. However, they were prevented from marking the sites of unexploded ordnance for safe disposal.