ADDIS ABABA, July 3 (Xinhuanet) -- The African Union (AU) has no funding problem in its on-going efforts to achieve peace in western Sudan's troubled Darfur region, a senior AU official said Saturday.

    AU commissioner for peace and security Said Djinnit said in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa that the regional bloc has a budget of 26 million US dollars for its various efforts undertaken to resolve the crisis that has been going on in Darfur since February last year.

    Djinnit outlined the sources of funding, saying the AU's peace efforts are funded largely by part of the European Union's development aid, which was redirected to promote peace in support of development.

    The fund alone amounted to 250 million euros ( 304.15 million dollars) and several western countries, such as Britain, the United States and Germany also contributed specifically to the AU's peace efforts in the Sudan. The AU's peace fund also funded part of the efforts.

    The AU now has 23 observers on ground in Darfur, and a total number of 60 observers will be deployed to the region. Also, the AU has a number of organs involved in resolving the crisis, and two committees which brought together all parties involved in the Darfur crisis were also operational, and had already convened in Chad's Ndjamena.

    AU Commission Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare flew to Ndjamena on Friday and launched a ceasefire commission made up of representatives from the Sudanese government, the opposition which revolted against the Khartoum government, and international mediators including the AU, the United States and host nation Chad.

    Since last year's revolt, over 10,000 people were killed in Darfur, and over 1 million were displaced. The United Nations labeled it as the world's "current worst humanitarian crisis." Enditem