ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) – Sudanese government troops launched a new assault in the strife-torn Darfur region that sparked fighting with rebels on the eve of renewed peace talks to end the crisis this week, the African Union said Friday, condemning the military for the attack.

The troops conducted the sweep to “clear roads of lawless elements” near the towns of Bilel and Isham, prompting battles with rebels, said Alpha Oumar Konare, chairman of the AU commission.

Konara condemned the “serious and unacceptable” violation of the cease-fire agreement between the government and the rebels – particularly because it came a day before peace talks began in Abuja, Nigeria. In a strongly worded statement released at AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Konare also condemned rebel groups for attacks in north and south Darfur in late November.

The peace talks, sponsored by the African Union, aim to find a political solution to the conflict that has claimed about 70,000 lives. The AU also pledged to redouble their efforts for a speedy deployment of additional peacekeeping forces.

The United Nations has described Darfur as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. But despite two U.N. Security Council resolutions urging the government to disarm Arab militias, the violence has continued. At a Nov. 25-26 meeting in Chad to discuss the latest violence, the African Union reported approximately 40 cease-fire violations by both sides since mid-August.

Darfur’s conflict started in February 2003 when two non-Arab African rebel groups took up arms to fight for more power and resources. The Sudanese government responded by backing the Janjaweed, which are now accused of targeting civilians in a campaign of murder, rape and arson.

International agencies estimate that since March, disease, malnutrition and clashes among the displaced have killed more than 70,000 people. More than 1.5 million people have been displaced.

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