The African Union (AU) said in Addis Ababa Thursday the peace talks between Khartoum and rebels in Sudan's western Darfur region will restart on June 10 in the Nigerian capital of Abuja after a six-month suspension.

"We strongly hope that the negotiations which will resume in Abuja on June 10 ... will quickly achieve success," said AU Commission Chairperson Alpha Oumar Konare at a donor pledging conference.

"Darfur is an important challenge for the AU but also for the rest of the international community," said Konare, who was co-chairing the conference at the AU headquarters with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Annan, who made a stopover here, will be traveling to Sudan on Friday to meet with Sudanese President Omar el-Beshir.

The 53-member pan-African body has deployed over 2,270 soldiers, known as AMIS, to monitor a ceasefire in Darfur.

It is appealing for US$ 460 million in cash, military equipment and logistical support to reinforce its current troops to more than 7,700 by September.

"Although operating under particularly difficult conditions, AMIS has done remarkable work on the ground," Konare said.

Clashes flared up in Darfur in February 2003 when local farmer stook up arms against the government, accusing it of neglecting the barren area. Thousands of people have been killed and more displaced in the violence.

Rounds of peace talks between the Sudanese government and Darfur rebels in Abuja have failed to yield fruits.

(Xinhua News Agency May 27, 2005)