The UN Security Council on Tuesday urged an end to violence in Sudan and urged the world to rally around the Sudanese people to help them shore up the country 's fledgling peace process after the death of Vice President John Garang.

"The Security Council stresses that Dr. Garang's death should not deter the Sudanese peoples' struggle for justice and dignity and encourages all the people of Sudan to refrain from violence and to maintain peace in the midst of mourning," said Japanese Ambassador Kenzo Oshima, the council president for August.

"This is a time for the world community to come together to support Dr. Garang's vision of a united and peaceful Sudan," he said, reading out a statement in an open meeting after a briefing on the current situation in Sudan.

"The Council calls on all Sudanese to honour his memory by restoring peace and calm throughout Sudan," he added.

Garang, who for more than two decades headed the southern-based rebel Sudanese People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), died in a helicopter crash over the weekend. He signed a power-sharing peace deal with the Khartoum government in January, which ended a 21- year civil war and led to his swearing in as Sudan's first vice president only three weeks ago.

"The Security Council trusts that despite Dr. Garang's sudden death, the people of Sudan remain united and will continue to work for the consolidation of peace in the country by implementing the Comprehensive peace agreement, for which he had worked unstintingly," Oshima said.

Oshima reiterated the Council's determination to assist the Sudanese people in their efforts to promote national reconciliation, resolve the conflict in the western Darfur region, and restore peace and stability throughout the country and build a prosperous and united Sudan.

Meanwhile, on the ground in Sudan, a 12-hour curfew remains in effect in the capital Khartoum in the wake of continuing violence in and around city, sparked by the death of Garang. In one incident, southern Sudanese from squatter and displaced persons' areas on the outskirts of Khartoum attacked and looted a market.

Source: Xinhua