UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS
By Benjamin Takpiny
JUBA, South Sudan (AA) – Sudan’s government on Monday signed an initial peace agreement with armed rebel groups in Juba, the capital of neighboring South Sudan.
The rebel groups that signed the deal include Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) from the western region of Darfur, and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Malik Agar from the southern states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.
The ceremony was held with the attendance of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council head Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok as well as top Sudanese officials.
The peace agreement addresses key issues in resolving the Sudanese conflict, including but not limited to power sharing, wealth sharing, transitional justice, security, displaced people and refugees, and ending 17-year conflict between the government and armed groups.
South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit lauded the Sudanese parties upon signing the peace deal, adding that it will bring peace and stability to both Sudan and South Sudan.
“With this peace agreement we have fulfilled the dreams of the Sudanese people, knowing that peace and security in Sudan is also peace and security in South Sudan,” said Kiir.
Al-Burhan, for his part, hailed the signing of the peace deal with opposition groups, adding that it will go a long way in restoring peace and security in Sudan.
“This agreement will bring peace and stability to all parts of Sudan. We cannot achieve development without peace, we have to stop all forms of conflict by addressing the root causes so that we build good relation between the state and citizens,” he said.
The SPLM-N division led by Abdel Aziz Al-Hilu and the largest faction of Sudan Liberation Movement under Abdul Wahi Al-Nur did not sign the peace deal.
The head of Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) El Hadi Idris said that the signing will end long suffering of the people of Sudan and will end the war.
He said that freedom, peace and equality are the choices of the people of Sudan.
South Sudan has offered to mediate between the parties to Sudan’s crisis since the unrest that led to the overthrow of longtime President Omar Bashir in April 2019 and the peace talks which commenced in Juba on Oct. 14 2019.
