The officers left Uganda's Entebbe International Airport aboard an Ethiopian airliner destined for Khartoum, the head of the Ugandan police force Major-General Katumba Wamala, told AFP by phone.

The 56 officers include 13 inspectors, 13 deputy inspectors and 30 sergeants, including two women.

The mission has an initial three-month contract that is renewable for a maximum of a year, Wamala said.

"It also gives us a challenge as the officers are being deployed in a region as Darfur," he added. "But they will face these challenges and know something beyond Uganda."

Uganda has participated in other UN missions elsewhere including its military having served in Liberia and some 20 police officers are still in the west African state.

Since Darfur rebels launched an uprising in western Sudan in February 2003 more than 300,000 civilians have been killed and around two million people driven from their homes, according to UN relief agencies.

The AU is currently brokering peace talks between Khartoum and Darfur rebels.

Last week, both main rebel groups active in Darfur denounced Khartoum's new power-sharing government, saying it did not represent the country's marginalised people.

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