EU vehicle strays into Sudan

A vehicle from the European Union security force being deployed in Chad strayed into neighbouring Sudan, drawing fire from Sudanese forces in an incident that left a force member missing, the EU said on Monday.

"A single, unarmoured vehicle of the Land Rover type accidentally entered three kilometres (two miles) beyond the Sudanese frontier," said a statement issued from the force headquarters near Paris.

"An attempt to recover the vehicle ran into enemy fire and the rescue group was forced to leave the area."

One member of the European force was missing after the incident in Tissi region in the southeast of the force deployment area, the statement said, without giving further details.

The 3,700-strong EUFOR has a UN mandate to provide security for more than 400,000 people in eastern Chad. More than half of the force will be provided by France.