A United Nations report cleared the Khartoum government on Monday of accusations that its troops and militias allied with it have committed genocide in the Darfur conflict, which erupted in early 2003.

The report, written by an independent inquiry commission, said, "The commission concluded that the government of the Sudan has not pursued a policy of genocide."

But the 176-page report accused Sudanese government forces and militias under its control of carrying out "indiscriminate attacks" against civilians in Darfur on "a widespread and systematic basis."

It said the Sudanese government and the Janjaweed militias in the western Sudanese region "are responsible for serious violations of international human rights law and humanitarian law amounting to crimes under international law."