Three United Nations and African Union peacekeepers have been killed in an attack in western Sudan’s region of Darfur.

The spokesperson of the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur, also known as UNAMID, says yesterday unidentified gunmen launched a deadly attack on and killed three Ethiopian soldiers.

Ashraf Eissa says the Ethiopian peacekeepers were patrolling a water hole in Korma, North Darfur, when the assault took place.

UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, has strongly condemned the incident, saying that attacks on UN peacekeepers are unacceptable and constitute what he calls a serious violation of international law.

He says this attack highlights the exceptionally challenging environments in which today’s peacekeepers operate.

Mr. Ban also said that October has been a bloody month for the UN peacekeeping missions in Africa as 14 peacekeepers have so far lost their lives in the African countries of Mali, Sudan and the Central African Republic.

The Iranian Press T.V. reports that 61 peacekeepers have been killed since the beginning of UNAMID mission in Darfur in 2007.

Darfur has been the scene of violence since 2003, when rebels took up arms against the government in Khartoum. There has also been tribal fighting in the region.

The United Nations estimates that more than 300,000 people have been killed in Darfur since the violence began.

Sudan has often accused South Sudan of supporting anti-government rebels operating in the Darfur region and the states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan, the allegation South Sudan denies.