FACTBOX-Five facts about Darfur

April 30, 2006 — Sudan accepted an African Union-drafted peace agreement for Darfur on Sunday but rebel groups said they were still considering the document.

Here are five facts on the Darfur crisis:

– Rebels in the vast region the size of France took up arms against the government in February 2003 saying the Sudanese government in Khartoum discriminated against mostly non-Arabs in Darfur.

– More than 2 million civilians, mostly non-Arab subsistence farmers, have fled their homes to camps in Darfur and across the border into Chad to escape the fighting and raids by government-backed militias. The United States has called the violence genocide. The Sudanese government admits to arming some militias to quell the rebellion but denies links to Janjaweed militias accused of rape, murder and looting.

– The U.N. has estimated at least 180,000 people have died in Darfur from fighting, hunger and disease. There are no official tolls of those killed in violence.

– A Darfur ceasefire was agreed in April 2004 and the African Union (AU) eventually sent some 7,000 peacekeepers with a mandate to monitor the peace and protect those displaced in the camps. Since then the ceasefire has been frequently violated by all sides, according to the AU.

– In June 2005 the International Criminal Court announced a formal investigation into suspected crimes against humanity in Sudan’s Darfur region. Sudan’s government says it will not allow ICC investigators to work in Darfur.

(Reuters)