A Senegalese peacekeeper has died after armed men shot him in the leg when they seized his car in Sudan's Darfur region, officials said on Tuesday.

The soldier serving in the United Nations/African Union UNAMID force was shot in North Darfur's capital El Fasher on Saturday and died from his wounds in a Khartoum hospital on Monday, they added.

Law and order has collapsed in Darfur where almost six years of fighting has left 200,000 dead and driven 2.5 million from their homes, according to international experts.

Car-jackings and attacks on humanitarian convoys and compounds have continued to climb.

The shooting in El Fasher market brought the number of UNAMID personnel killed in accidents or action this year to 17.

The three gunmen ordered the UNAMID officer and two colleagues to get out of their vehicle, the force said in a statement. It said one was shot in the process.

Sudanese police recovered the stolen vehicle but had so far failed to track down the gunmen, the UNAMID statement added.

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