8 March 2011 VOA News Sudan's government has approved the creation of two new states in Darfur, increasing the number of states in the war-torn region to five.
The pro-government newspaper Sudan Vision reports the new states will be Central Darfur, with Zalingei as its capital, and Eastern Darfur, with El-Daein as its capital.
Map "Courtesy of the University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin."
A high-level committee on Darfur, chaired by President Omar al-Bashir, adopted a recommendation to establish the two states.
The Reuters news agency quotes a representative from the rebel Sudan Liberation Army as rejecting the plan.
Sudan's government has not released maps or described the borders of the new states.
The vast Darfur region is currently divided into three states known as North, South, and West Darfur.
Darfur rebels took up arms against the government in 2003, accusing Khartoum of neglecting their region.
Fighting has continued for eight years with little progress in peace talks between Sudan's government and rebel groups.
The United Nations says more than 300,000 people have been killed in the Darfur conflict, and 2.7 million others displaced. Sudan's government puts the death toll at 10,000.
The International Criminal Court has indicted President al-Bashir for alleged war crimes in the region.
Stumble It!
