In combustion control apparatus and method for an internal combustion
engine, an exhaust gas purifying section is disposed in an exhaust system
of the engine, a determination is made, on the basis of a state of the
exhaust gas purifying section, whether a request is issued to switch a
combustion mode of the engine to a split retard combustion (predetermined
fuel combustion mode) in which a preliminary fuel combustion is carried
out at least once at or near to a top dead center and a main fuel
combustion to develop a main torque is started after a completion of the
preliminary fuel combustion, and the combustion mode of the engine is
switched to the split retard combustion when the combustion mode
switching request determining section determines that the request is
issued and during a transient driving state of the engine.