"The international community should take firm action against anybody who wilfully absent themselves from these negotiations, choosing to engage in violent actions against the innocent people of Darfur," said Mbeki.

The president was speaking at a banquet in Tuynhuys, Cape Town, in honour of Sudan President Omar Hassan Ahmed el Bashir.

"All necessary steps should be taken to ensure the security of the civilian population and the internally displaced people in Darfur," he said.

Mbeki said the African Union-United Nations hybrid peacekeeping force should be deployed without further delay, and all outstanding issues should be solved as a matter of urgency.

Since 2003, the Darfur region in south west Sudan has been embroiled in a deadly conflict.

The Sudanese military and the Janjaweed (a group consisting of Arab-speaking people) are fighting against rebel groups over occupation and use of land occupied by non-Arab communities in the country's south.

The conflict has left thousands displaced and many more dead.

Mbeki assured President El Bashir, who is on a state visit, that South Africa remained "seized of the question of further strengthening our contribution to the peace forces deployed in Darfur".