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TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) - Two main rebel groups in Sudan's conflict ridden Darfur region signed a declaration Wednesday pledging to adhere to a cease-fire and help facilitate the flow of humanitarian relief aid.
The "Tripoli Declaration" was part of a drive by Libya to mediate in the Darfur crisis, which has seen both rebels and the government repeatedly call cease-fires and promise to return to negotiations only to have violence continue.
The large Darfur region of western Sudan has been torn by violence since February 2003 in a conflict between non-Arab rebels and government forces, backed by militia allies. The Arab militiamen in particular are accused of atrocities against non-Arab civilians in the conflict. The U.N. estimates 180,000 people have died, mainly from war-induced hunger and disease, and some 2 million displaced people.
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