Sudan: AU extends mandate of Darfur mission

The African Union extended the mandate for its Darfur peacekeeping mission until the end of the year on Friday and said it hoped efforts to deploy a hybrid AU/United Nations force would be speeded up. The AU's Peace and Security Council also called for financial and logistical support for its AMIS operation in the troubled Sudanese region, where its African troops have not been paid for three months at a time.