Washington  - US President Barack Obama has appointed a former general to serve as his special envoy for Sudan's Darfur region, pledging to keep up the pressure on Khartoum to end the conflict.

Retired major general J Scott Gration has agreed to accept the post as international focus on Darfur intensifies following Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir's expulsion of humanitarian organizations from the country.

"The government of Sudan's disastrous decision to expel humanitarian relief organizations leaves a void that will be filled by deprivation and despair, and they will be held accountable for the lives lost," Obama said in a statement.

Obama said that Sudan will be a "priority" for his administration, adding that addressing the humanitarian crisis is "urgent." He backed the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force to Darfur to work alongside an African Union contingent to stabilize Darfur.

The conflict in Darfur between non-Arab rebels and militants backed by the Arab government in Khartoum has, according to a UN count, left more than 300,000 people dead and more than 2 million displaced.

Al-Bashir responded to an arrest warrant issued against him by a UN international court on war crimes by ordering the expulsion of more than a dozen foreign humanitarian aid groups working in Darfur. His decision prompted worldwide outrage.

Gration, a former US Air Force pilot, grew up in the Democratic Republic of Congo while his family served there as missionaries. He has served as a key advisor to Obama and accompanied him to Darfur refugee camps in neighbouring Chad.

"General Gration's personal and professional background, and his service to the country as both a military leader and a humanitarian, give him the insights and experience necessary for this assignment," Obama said. (dpa)