Cape Town, March 26 (IANS) South African President Jacob Zuma has extended the employment of 850 members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in Darfur, Sudan, the presidency said Tuesday.

Zuma has informed parliament of his decision, Xinhua quoted presidential spokesperson Mac Maharaj as saying.

The SANDF members, dispatched to Sudan April 1 last year for a one-year mission, are part of the African Union/UN Hybrid operation in Darfur (UNAMID), in accordance with the various UN Security Council Resolutions.

Their mission has now been extended to March 31, 2015.

South Africa has also mediated peace talks between the warring factions of South Sudan.

Civil war broke out in South Sudan, the world's youngest country in December. As many as 10,000 people are feared to have been killed, with hundreds of thousands displaced.