After a referendum held between 11 and 13 April, the people of Sudan have voted to keep the region of conflict-torn Darfur divided into five states. Rebel and opposition groups in the region have claimed that the splitting-up has led to a tactic of divide-and-rule for the Khartoum based government and would additionally have led to the renewed fighting in 2003. The state referendum commission nevertheless stated that 97% of voters were in favour of the multi-state system with a turnout of 93% of the registered voters which amounted to less than half the population of Darfur. The opposition groups have claimed these figures to be false and analysts have stated that the government opposes unification of Darfur because it would give rebels more legitimacy power to push for independence.

The government of Sudan had increased its efforts of attacking insurgents over the last year and rebel groups claim to still be waiting for a political settlement for the intermittent 13-year conflict. The rebels want Darfur to return to the system it was before the conflict broke out. The referendum sparked protests by students and the displaced, and was reportedly widely boycotted by the people of Darfur which reflects the low voter turnout.

The conflict is based on the ethnic difficulties in predominantly Muslim Darfur against African groups such as the Fur, the Zaghawa and Masalit who felt underrepresented. In the 1980’s, an Arab supremacist movement emerged. The conflict is said to have started around 2003, although rebel movements had been formed before that.

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For more information on the context of the war in Darfur, click here.

For a wider ethnic and political background to Sudan, click here.