The head of Sudan's delegation at a new round of peace talks on the crisis in Darfur has insisted the Sudanese government can handle the security situation.
Agriculture Minister Majzoub al-Khalifa said it was not necessary for the African Union to send a 2,000-strong peacekeeping force to the troubled region.
He added that the government in Khartoum was going to disarm Janjaweed rebels and other militias.
Last month, the United Nations warned the Sudanese government to disarm the rebels or face international sanctions.
The African Union has been hosting a day of talks between the Sudanese government and rebels in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.
Earlier, the Nigerian leader, Olusegun Obasanjo, called on the Sudanese government to allow the union's peacekeeping force of Nigerian and Rwandan troops to be deployed in Darfur.
The 18-month conflict has left at least 20,000 people dead and driven more than a million from their homes.
Aid agencies say hundreds of people fleeing the conflict are still arriving at refugee camps each day.
