U.N. extends panel monitoring Darfur

UNITED NATIONS, May 17 (UPI) -- The U.N. Security Council extended the mandate of the panel monitoring sanctions against those obstructing the peace process in Sudan's Darfur region Tuesday.

In a 15-0 vote, the council agreed to extend the mandate through Feb. 19, 2012, the United Nations said in a release.

The panel of experts, established in 2005, is charged with monitoring an arms embargo, travel ban and assets freeze, as well as inform the Security Council's sanctions committee about individuals who hinder the peace process and violate international law, among other things.

An estimated 300,000 people have been killed and 2.7 million others displaced since 2003 because of fighting between rebels and Sudanese forces and their allied janjaweed militias.