The African Union (AU) on Saturday condemned the rise in attacks on its peacekeepers in Somalia in recent weeks.

In a statement from the AU headquarters, it said it condemned "unequivocally and in no uncertain terms the unprovoked attacks onthe AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which had earlier led to the deaths of some peacekeepers and is now worsening the already fragile security situation in particular and in Somalia in general."

The pan-African body "has viewed with serious concern the alarming incessant attacks on the position of AMISOM peacekeepers,which have led to thousands of civilian population to flee the city of Mogadishu, thereby causing untold suffering on the vulnerable citizens of Somalia," said the statement.

"This unwarranted attacks constitute a breach of internationallaw and a further threat to international peace and security," it said.

In recent weeks, Somalia's Islamist insurgents, who since early 2007 have been battling the country's transitional government, have launched a growing number of attacks on AU peacekeepers in Mogadishu.

The AU mission has an authorized force of 8,000 but to date only 2,600 troops from Uganda and Burundi have been deployed.

(Xinhua News Agency September 27, 2008)