US diplomat dies in Sudan attack

The diplomat's Sudanese driver was killed on the spot during the attack in the early hours of Tuesday.

Sudan's interior ministry said the embassy vehicle was fired on by gunmen in another car as it drove through a residential area of western Khartoum.

It is not yet clear whether the attack was politically motivated, as crime is fairly high in the city.

The victim was an officer with the US Agency for International Development.

Sudan's interior ministry said he was shot five times in the hand, shoulder and stomach.

The driver, identified as 40-year-old Abdel Rahman Abbas, was killed instantly, it said in a statement.

Investigation launched

In a statement, the US Embassy in Khartoum said: "This afternoon, the American officer succumbed to his injuries and passed away.

"We are working closely with local authorities to investigate the incident."

Sudan's police said they have launched a large-scale operation to try to hunt down the perpetrators.

The shooting happened the day after a joint African Union-United Nations force took over peacekeeping duties in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region.

Anti-Western and anti-US feelings are running high in Sudan, because of Western criticism of Khartoum's policies in Darfur, correspondents say.