Lest We Forget Sudan

A Darfur town has been burned to the ground and its residents forced to flee, days after 10 African Union troops were killed there in an attack.

More than 7,000 residents of Haskanita fled into the bush or to other towns after it was torched, a spokeswoman for the U.N. said, adding a huge aid operation would be needed to bring them food, shelter and water.

The only buildings to survive were a mosque and a school.

A large armed group attacked a small African Union base in Haskanita on September 29, killing seven Nigerian peacekeepers and three other soldiers from Mali, Senegal and Botswana. [Reuters]

Other news sources add, "Yesterday rebels claimed that Haskanita had been left a smouldering wreck after being levelled by Sudanese troops, with 100 civilians dying in the process."