New York, July 31 (DPA) The UN Security Council Thursday extended the mandate of UN peacekeeping troops in Sudan's troubled Darfur province for another year.

That means that UNAMID, the joint UN and African Union peacekeeping operation in Darfur, will stay at least until July 2010.

In the unanimously-adopted resolution, the UN's highest decision making body emphasized that protection of civilians and the free access by aid workers to the region continues to have highest priority.

UN troops joined the African Union troops at the end of 2007/early 2008 to bolster their efforts to stem the killing in western Sudan which has been called genocide by Washington and other governments.

According to the most recent report from UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, the mission still has not reached its approved strength.