Washington, D.C. ? President Bush signed an executive order Friday that stiffens sanctions on Sudan and its oil industry in an effort to persuade the government to accept U.N. peacekeepers and stop killings of civilians in Darfur.

The president signed the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act to address the crisis in the western region of Sudan where at least 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million people have been displaced in three years of fighting.

The act imposes sanctions against those responsible for genocide, backs measures to protect civilians and humanitarian operations, and supports peace efforts in the war-torn land, according to the order issued Friday evening by the White House. The order continues a countrywide blocking of the Sudan government’s property, and prohibits transactions related to Sudan’s oil sector.

Bush’s executive action expands on an order issued by President Clinton in 1997.