Campaigners demand action on Darfur

The rally was part of a Global Day for Darfur, which saw events taking place in more than 30 countries around the world, as campaigners called for their governments to step up to their responsibilities in the war-torn region.

In London, protesters marched from the Sudanese embassy near St James's Park to Downing Street, waving placards bearing the slogans: "Darfur: Don't Look Away" and "Protest Darfur".

More than two million people have been displaced since Janjaweed militias - allegedly backed by the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum - started reprisals against ethnic African rebels in Darfur.

According to the UN, up to 200,000 people have died from starvation, disease and killings since 2003.

The rally coincided with the second anniversary of the UN "responsibility to protect" agreement in which world leaders vowed to act to stop genocide and mass atrocities.

But two years after that declaration, campaigners say the international community has yet to fulfil their commitments to Darfur.

A recently agreed hybrid African Union-United Nations mission, consisting of about 20,000 peacekeeping troops and another 6,000 police, is expected to start arriving in the western region of Sudan from next month.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has signalled that the UK will provide "technical" assistance for the force and also support for the African nations that contribute manpower.

At one point Tom Porteous, director of Human Rights Watch, urged campaigners to don blindfolds as a reminder for people "not to look away". He said: "This is what people are doing, they are turning a blind eye to it. They are not seeing what's going on."