Three peacekeepers have been attacked and killed in the North Darfur area of Sudan, the UN and African Union (AU) have said in a statement.

联合国和非盟在一份声明中称，三名在苏丹北达尔富尔地区巡逻的维和人员遇袭被杀。

The peacekeepers - from Unamid, the joint¹ UN-AU force - were patrolling in the Zam Zam refugee camp on the outskirts²（市郊） of the town of Fasher.

One assailant（攻击者） also died, the statement said. Six peacekeepers were wounded, three seriously.

Unamid chief Ibrahim Gambari said the attack was a "war crime".

He said the Unamid patrol was "a regular nightly patrol of unarmed police advisers³ and armed military escorts.

"Their mission was to protect civilians⁴. For that they paid the ultimate sacrifice."

He vowed⁵ that justice would be served - but usually attacks on the peacekeepers do not result in arrests or convictions, says the BBC's James Copnall in Khartoum.

Patrols increased

The nationalities of the three dead were not immediately given but all were from African nations, said the AFP news agency.

This is the first time such an attack has been seen at the Zam Zam camp, our correspondent says, which highlights the security risks even close to major towns.

Unamid says it has increased the number of patrols because of recent concerns.

A spokesman for one of the main rebel groups accused the government of being behind the attack, but produced no evidence.

Ibrahim al-Hillu, from the Abdul Wahid faction⁶ of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), also alleged⁷ President Omar al-Bashir's trip this week to Qatar was an attempt to obtain weapons to fight in Darfur. Mr Hillu urged the world not to provide arms to Sudan.

There is an arms embargo⁸ in place, but activists⁹ say it is often flouted¹⁰, our correspondent says.

Sudanese officials did not respond to requests for comment, but in the past Sudan has said it will take seriously any attacks on Unamid, and has denied breaking the embargo.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Mr Bashir over the conflict in Darfur, accusing him of genocide and war crimes. Mr Bashir denies the allegation（主张，断言） , saying the ICC is controlled by Western powers hostile to Sudan.