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Sudanese, foreign troops exchange fire, civilian killed

Sudanese troops exchanged fire with foreign troops, who twice strayed across the border from Chad into west Sudan, killing at least one civilian, the foreign ministry said yesterday.

Ministry spokesman Ali Sadiq said he could not confirm the nationality of the soldiers who crossed the unmarked border between southeastern Chad and war-ravaged western Darfur, but said they were "white" and not Chadian.

French soldier

Sadiq was speaking just hours after a European peacekeeping force in Chad reported that a French soldier was missing after his vehicle accidentally crossed the border into Sudan and after hostile fire on Monday.

"At 5pm yesterday at a Sudanese checkpoint 5km inside Sudanese territory, a military jeep crossed and exchanged fire with the checkpoint inside Sudanese territory," the spokesman said.

"The jeep is totally damaged. Five or six white soldiers fled back to the Chadian territories on foot. They have not been pursued," he said.

"An hour later another three military jeeps protected by military helicopter came back and some casualties have been reported," he said.

"I can just confirm that a civilian was killed. I'm not sure about any casualties among the Sudanese army or the invading force. I have no confirmation of anyone detained," the spokesman said.

A spokesman for the international peacekeeping mission in Darfur said: "At this stage we're still trying to establish what the details are."

EUFOR staff

In Paris overnight, the EUFOR force said a single soft-skinned Landrover-type vehicle strayed unintentionally 3km into Sudan in the Tissi area, southwest of its area of operations.

"An attempted recovery of the vehicle was met with hostile fire and they left the area," the spokesman said.

"At this time, it can be stated that one EUFOR personnel is currently missing but no further information can immediately be released for operational reasons," the spokesman said.
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