The six-year war between forces loyal to Sudan's government and rebels in Darfur has effectively ended.

This has been announced Thursday by the UN's military commander in the region.

General Martin Agwai, who is leaving his post this week, said the vicious fighting of earlier years had subsided as rebel groups split into factions. He says the region now suffers more from low-level disputes and banditry.

"Banditry, localised issues, people trying to resolve issues over water and land at a local level. But real war as such, I think we are over that," he said

The war broke out in the arid and impoverished region early in 2003 when rebel groups including Jem attacked government targets, accusing Khartoum of oppressing black Africans in favour of Arabs. Pro-government militiamen hit back with brutal force, which the US says was a genocide.

Gen Agwai said only one rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem), posed a real threat.

The UN says 300 000 people have died in Darfur, but the Sudanese government puts the figure at 10 000.

Almost three million people are said to have been displaced by the fighting.