Only 10,000 troops of a planned 26,000-force have been deployed
UN chief Ban Ki-moon has condemned an ambush which left seven members of the joint UN-African Union peace mission to Sudan's Darfur region dead.
Twenty-two others were injured, seven critically, in one of the deadliest assaults on UN forces in recent years.
The UN says its peacekeepers fought for over two hours to repulse suspected Janjaweed fighters, who were armed with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades.
Only 10,000 of a planned 26,000-strong peacekeeping force have been deployed.
Correspondents say the UN-AU mission, which began work this year, lacks the military hardware, including attack helicopters, needed to operate effectively in a region roughly the size of France.
'Extreme violence'
Khartoum, which wants predominantly African peacekeepers, has been accused of slowing down the deployment of the force by repeatedly raising objections.
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About 40 armoured vehicles ambushed the peace force while it was on patrol in North Darfur on Wednesday.
Ten vehicles from the UN-AU Mission in Darfur (Unamid) were destroyed, Sudan's state media reported.
A spokeswoman for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he "condemns in the strongest possible terms this unacceptable act of extreme violence".
The BBC's Laura Trevelyan at the UN in New York says that UN officials suspect Janjaweed militia loyal to Sudan's government were to blame.
She says diplomats are wondering whether the timing of the attack could be linked to the fact that top Sudanese officials could be indicted for war crimes at the International Criminal Court next week.
The Janjaweed has long been hostile to UN troops in Sudan, fearing they could be used to arrest anyone indicted by the court at the Hague, our correspondent says.
Since the conflict began in Darfur five years ago, the UN estimates that some 300,000 people have died and two million have fled their homes.
The conflict began when rebels took up arms in protest at alleged government discrimination against the region.
Pro-government Arab militias have been accused of widespread atrocities against the black African population.
At least seven United Nations peacekeepers are dead, and nearly two dozen wounded, after Janjaweed militants in Darfur, Sudan, ambushed their convoy around 11:45 GMT. Five of those troops were from the African nation of Rwanda.

Troops fought with militants for over two hours after militants ambushed their convoy of 40 armoured vehicles. Sudanese media states that ten were wrecked beyond repair.

Hafiz Mohammed, who leads the Sudan program at Justice Africa in London, England, says the latest attack reflects the deteriorating security situation on the ground and that everyone in Sudan is at risk of being attacked.
Kigali International Airport for deployment in Darfur in 2005.
"The situation is very bad. Instead of actually protecting the civilians, they will end up not able even to protect themselves. It's sad to see this happening. It's going to discourage countries to contribute to the unit, which is creating problems. This is the security situation in Darfur, nobody is immune from being attacked," said Mohammed.

The U.N. has condemned the attack releasing a statement saying, "the secretary-general (Ban Ki-moon) condemns in the strongest possible terms this unacceptable act of extreme violence against AU-U.N. peacekeepers in Darfur and calls on the government of Sudan to do its utmost to ensure that the perpetrators are swiftly identified and brought to justice."

The peacekeepers are part of a joint African Union-U.N. mission aimed at putting 26,000 troops in the region. So far only around 10,000 of that planned mission have been ordered to the region. Countries unwilling to contribute forces, and constant government restrictions from Sudan, have contributed to the slow movement of troops to the region.