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Rebels reject Darfur peace agreement

ABUJA, Nigeria, April 30 (UPI) -- Two rebel factions in Sudan have rejected a peace agreement in the Darfur conflict, as a deadline has passed for negotiators in Abuja, Nigeria.

The Justice and Equality Movement and a faction of the Sudan Liberation Army rejected the deal, the BBC reported. The conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan has killed at least 180,000 -- and perhaps as many as 300,000 -- and driven more than 2 million from their homes.

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Senior U.N. envoy for Sudan Jan Pronk has said the peace plan was not up for renegotiation, but he suggested that the passing of a deadline set by the African Union for a peace agreement did not matter -- as long as the rebels signed within a day or so, the BBC said.

An 85-page draft plan calls for pro-government Arab militias to be disarmed, and rebels fighters to be merged into Sudan's forces. The BBC said the plan also aims to end what Darfur rebels say is long-standing neglect of the province by the Khartoum government.

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