Millions of people have been displaced by the Darfur conflict

"I hereby announce our immediate, unconditional ceasefire between the armed forces and the warring factions, provided that an effective monitoring mechanism is put into action and observed by all involved parties," al-Bashir said on Wednesday.

However, Darfur's multiple rebel movements have dismissed the government move, labelling it as "insincere".

Past ceasefires announced by Khartoum have collapsed.

The Sudan People's Forum, a platform of government and opposition figures, recommended the ceasefire.

Al-Bashir also said that the government "will set up an immediate campaign to disarm the militias and restrict the use of weapons among armed forces".

The forum also recommended the release of political prisoners in Darfur, but al-Bashir did not pledge to carry this out.

The attempted peace move in Darfur is a new push by the government to end a conflict that, according to international experts, has killed at least 200,000 people, and displaced more than 2.5 million since 2003.

Recommend this article...

Did you enjoy this article? Please bookmark it onto: