The authorities in Khartoum have since rejected Resolution 1593, which the Security Council adopted last Thursday.

They described the resolution as "unfair" and "narrow-minded," insisting that the Sudanese Judiciary system was capable of trying all individuals suspected of war crimes in war-ravaged Darfur.

President Omar Hassan el-Bashir has vowed not to hand over any compatriot for trial abroad.

Press reports here said Egypt would on 20 April host a mini- African summit on the escalating crisis in Darfur, where two rebel groups alleging neglect and marginalisation of the region, took up arms against the government in Khartoum.

Cairo sources said the presidents of Chad, Egypt, Libya, Nigeria and Sudan would attend the summit billed for the Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Sheikh.

Last October, leaders from the same five countries met in Tripoli, Libya and recommended that the conflict in Darfur be resolved without foreign intervention.