Khartoum 'backs Darfur militias'

New York-based Human Rights Watch says it has government documents showing that officials directed recruitment, arming and support of the Janjaweed.

The government in Khartoum has denied any involvement with the militia.

In Darfur itself, the government has been deploying armed police in camps set up for those displaced by the conflict.

Sudan says about 6,000 police are being sent to protect the refugees, following reports of widespread rape of women in the camps by the militias.

Aid agencies warn that thousands more of the one million displaced people could die from hunger and disease.

A group of British charities - known as the Disasters Emergency Committee - is launching an urgent aid appeal for the people of Sudan on Tuesday.