The Sudanese government on Monday urged the United Nations to stop the Darfur rebels from hampering humanitarian work in the conflict-plagued area.

Sudanese Minister for Humanitarian Affairs Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid made the appeal during talks with visiting UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland.

The Sudanese minister also called upon the UN to lend support to local humanitarian organizations to ensure continuity of aid work after the international organizations leave Darfur.

In addition, Hamid asked the UN official to stop some of the international humanitarian organizations working in Darfur from launching "political and informative campaigns against Sudan."

Hamid told reporters after the meeting that the UN official acknowledged that there is a progress in the humanitarian situation in Darfur and a relative improvement in the security situation.

Egeland, on his part, said, "The UN and the international community do not allow any aggression against humanitarian caravans or against citizens and trade trucks."

The top UN relief official concluded a five-day visit to Sudan Monday, during which he toured southern Sudan and Darfur.

Rebels took up arms in early 2003 in Sudan's western arid Darfur region, accusing Khartoum of negligence. Thousands have been killed since the start of the conflict and many more displaced.

(Xinhua News Agency)