Five African Union (AU) peacekeepers were killed by unknown gunmen in western Sudanese region of Darfur, an AU spokesman said on Monday.

Nourddin Mazeni said the five soldiers, guarding a water point near the Sudanese border with Chad, were killed on Sunday by armed men in the deadliest attack on the peacekeepers since their deployment in 2004, adding that four of them were killed on the scene and another died of his wound early on Monday morning.

The death toll in the attack took to 16 the number of AU peacekeepers killed since the AU force deployed in Darfur, it was reported.

Sunday's killing came one day after unidentified gunmen opened fire at a military plane of the AU peacekeeping forces at Kourni area near Zalingei city in the West Darfur region, without casualties.

Gunmen fired five shots towards the AU military plane which, at the time, was on a routine patrol duty in the area, Mazeni said, adding that the plane landed safely at the Fashir Airport in the North Darfur state.

Source: Xinhua