Darfur peace talks could be held in London

News of the offer was timed to coincide with the Global Day for Darfur on Sunday, a day of events meant to raise awareness of the suffering in the Western Sudanese region.

“This is a formal offer to hold these talks in London,” Brown's spokesman said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with policy. He did not specify who had been invited, and it wasn't clear how likely the talks were.

Fighting has raged in Darfur since 2003, when ethnic African tribesman took up arms, complaining of decades of neglect and discrimination by the Sudanese Arab-dominated government. The Sudanese government has been accused of unleashing Arab militias known as the janjaweed forces to commit atrocities against ethnic African communities in the fight with rebel groups.

The U.N. believes that far more than 200,000 people have been killed, and millions have been forced from their homes.