The United States dispatched two senior State Department officials to Sudan on Monday to keep up the peace process there after the death of Sudanese First Vice President John Garang.

Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Connie Newman and the US Special Representative to Sudan Roger Winter left Washington on Monday for the flights to Khartoum and southern Sudan.

The two officials will confer with parties in Sudan and " encourage them to maintain momentum on the comprehensive peace agreement and on Darfur," State Department acting spokesman Tom Casey said at a briefing.

"We certainly are looking for and hope to see an orderly and peaceful succession to the new first vice president," Casey said.

Garang, a former southern rebel leader who was sworn in as first vice president only on July 9, was killed in a helicopter crash on Monday.

Source: Xinhua