The conference, to be held 26 May at the AU Addis Ababa headquarters, will be co-chaired by the Commission Chairperson Alpha Oumar Konare and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

High-level delegations from AU partners as well as representatives of the AU member States are expected to attend the conference, the Commission said.

The conference follows the 28 April decision of the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC), which authorised the enhancement of AMIS and requested the Commission to engage all potential contributors within the international community to mobilise the necessary additional support.

The PSC based its decision on the outcome of the joint assessment mission 10-22 March, to Sudan's troubled western region of Darfur by a team of representatives of the AU and its partners.

Increased financial and logistical support to AMIS has become necessary to enable it to carry out its task successfully.