Minister of State in the Sudanese Foreign Ministry Najeeb el- Kheir was quoted as saying that the repeated ceasefire violations by the Darfur rebels would hinder the progressing atmosphere toward the next round of peace talks due in Abuja, Nigeria, in June.

Sudan's impoverished Darfur has been gripped by violence since February 2003, when local farmers took up arms against the government accusing it of neglecting the arid region.

Thousands of people have died from clashes, hunger and diseases and more than one million displaced.

The African Union (AU) brokered a ceasefire in April 2004, but violations on both sides were often reported.

Three rounds of peace talks were held between Darfur rebels and the government, but yielded no major breakthroughs.

The African Union has invited international partners to attend a meeting on Thursday to discuss how to respond to AU's April 28 appeal for additional financial, logistic and material support to strengthen and increase the African Union Mission (AMIS) from its current forces level of 3,200 to more than 7,700.