African Union peacekeepers in Darfur unpaid since May

Darfur villages burn as army tramples on UN peace plan - Sunday Times excerpt:

Last Friday their new uniforms filled the streets of El Fasher and foreigners were warned to stay indoors.

General Collins Ihekire, the Nigerian head of the African Union's (AU) 7,000-strong peacekeeping force, believes the perception that it is implementing an unfair peace agreement is hampering its efforts even more than a lack of resources.

"They (the rebels) are not seeing us as partners in the peace process but as legitimate targets," he said by telephone from Darfur. Two AU soldiers were killed last month in an ambush, and more attacks were expected, he added. Most of the peacekeepers had not been paid since May.