Tuesday's resolution finally authorised the world's largest peacekeeping force -- 26,000 troops and police -- to take charge of what the United Nations has called the world's greatest humanitarian catastrophe.

In addition to the huge death toll, more than one third of Darfur's six million population have been displaced as a result of what the United States has branded a genocidal campaign by Khartoum against rebels.

The new force, which could begin deploying as early as October, will take over from the current under-equipped AU mission of 7,000 to patrol a vast and mostly arid area in western Sudan roughly the size of France.

Khartoum welcomed the resolution after finally agreeing to the hybrid force on July 12 on condition it be made up essentially of African troops.

Sudan's ambassador to London Omer Siddig described the decision as "a step in the right direction," saying Khartoum had itself asked the United Nations to help the struggling African Union force.

"The African Union doesn't have resources and doesn't have trained people, so we requested assistance from the United Nations and from the international community to come for the help of the African Union on the ground," he told BBC radio.

As to Khartoum's eventual cooperation on the ground, Sudan's ambassador to the United Nations, Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad, said his government would examine the text and respond in a few days.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon hailed the resolution as "historic and unprecedented" while the United States warned Khartoum of sanctions if it did not comply.

Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir has repeatedly accused Washington of leading efforts to recolonise Sudan, as a result of which Western troops numbers in the hybrid force are likely to be minimal.