New York  - An ambush in Sudan's Darfur that led to the death of one peacekeeper was condemned Tuesday by the United Nations- African Union mission in the strife-torn western Sudanese region.

"The UN-AU mission in Darfur strongly condemns these cowardly acts of violence against its peacekeepers and calls on all parties including the government of Sudan to ensure the safety of UN personnel in the region," United Nations spokeswoman Marie Okabe said from UN headquarters in New York.

A UN-AU escort patrol was returning Tuesday to Nyala, South Darfur, when the unit was ambushed by about eight unidentified gunmen. One peacekeeper was wounded and later died at the medical centre in al-Fasher, Okabe said.

Rodolphe Adada, UN-AU representative in Darfur, said: "These ongoing attacks against UNAMID peacekeepers will not dissuade us from pursuing our mandate in Darfur."

The UN said that Tuesday's attack was the second in a week against the peacekeepers as tensions mounted following Khartoum's decision to expel relief organizations that had been helping people caught in the Darfur conflict since 2003.

The decision was taken in retaliation for the warrant issued by the International Criminal Court to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur.

Last week, four peacekeepers were wounded when they came under fire while returning from a patrol to their base in el-Geneina, West Darfur. The UN said that attacks and incidents of banditry this year against peacekeepers has already exceeded the number of incidents in 2008. dpa