Algeria on Saturday called on all factions in Sudan's Darfur region to make joint efforts to speed up the peace process, a communique released by the Algerian Foreign Ministry said.

The communique said the Algerian government welcomes the Friday peace deal between the Sudanese government and the Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM), which is a major rebel faction in Darfur.

The Algerian government hoped other rebel factions to join the peace agreement as soon as possible, in a bid to bring years of bloodshed in Darfur to an end, said the communique.

The communique lauded the mediation of the African Union (AU), saying the peace accord between the two sides turned a new page in bringing stability and prosperity to Sudan as well as kindling other conflict-stricken African regions with hopes for solution.

The Sudanese government and the SLM signed the peace agreement Friday in Nigerian capital Abuja after two years of tough talks. The agreement calls for disbanding rebel forces and disarming the "Janjaweed" militia, which backs the government.

The rebel groups took up arms in Sudan's arid Darfur region in February 2003, accusing the government of negligence. Many people have been killed in the conflict and some 1 million displaced since then.

Source: Xinhua