EL-FASHER, Sudan - Sudan criticised the United States and European Union on Tuesday for failing to impose sanctions on Darfur rebel groups believed to be behind the deadliest attack on African Union troops in the region.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ali al-Sadig said the "most likely" culprits behind Saturday's attack on the Haskanita base were a splinter group of either the rebel Justice Equality Movement (JEM) or the Sudan Liberation Army's Unity faction.
The African Union said 10 of its personnel were killed, 10 wounded and three were missing after the raid. Leaders from both JEM and SLA Unity have denied responsibility for the attack.
Sudanese Justice Minister Ali al-Mardi told Reuters the international community should have punished the rebel groups that have refused to sign peace deals with the government to end the four-year conflict.
"I am talking about the big powers, in particular the USA and the EU," he said.
"What happened in Haskanita is a direct result of what the international community has failed to do. If they had exerted pressure on them, this attack would not have happened."
The EU Presidency on Tuesday condemned the attack on Haskanita saying it was a "deliberate violation" of existing ceasefire agreements and U.N. Security Council Resolutions. It called for an investigation into the ceasefire breach but stopped short of calling for any sanctions.
The African Union mediated a peace agreement between the Sudanese government and Darfur rebels in May 2006 but only one of three rebel negotiating factions signed the deal. Since then, rebels have split into a dozen factions.
The United States said late on Monday it was prepared to impose fresh sanctions on whoever ordered the worst single assault on African Union peacekeepers since the mission came to Darfur in 2004.
"BANDITS"
Sadig said rebels behind the attack were "more like bandits than military groups".
"The international community should come together to punish whoever was responsible," he said.
