A peace deal has been signed between Sudan’s transitional authorities and a rebel alliance which follows months of negotiations intended for ending the country’s decades-long civil wars.
The ceremony which was televised by South Sudan President Salva Kiir, whose own country gained independence from Sudan in 2011 following decades of civil war.
Deputy chief of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, General Mohammed Hamadan Dagalo, signed the agreement along with rebel leaders.
The deal would grant self-rule for the southern provinces of Blue Nile, South Kordofan and West Kordofan.
Rebel forces would be integrated into Sudan’s armed forces.
Many powerful armed groups have therefore declined to join the country in signing a peace deal to end such wars.
Another major rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Movement-Army, which is led by Abdel-Wahid Nour rejects the transitional government and has not taken part in the talks.
The deal was reached between the Sudanese government and the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), a coalition of several armed groups.
The SRF, centred in the Western Darfur region, South Kordofan and the Blue Nile is part of the pro-democracy movement that led to the uprising against al-Bashir, but the rebels didn’t fully support the military-civilian power-sharing deal.
Leaders in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, where talks have been held since late last year signed the agreement to bring about peace.
Negotiating an end to the rebellions in Sudan’s far-flung provinces has been a crucial goal for the transitional government, which assumed power after a popular uprising led the military to overthrow President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.
Authorities hope to restore the country’s battered economy through slashing military spending, which takes up much of the national budget.
Sudan’s largest single rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Movement-North, led by Abdel-Aziz al-Hilu, was involved in the peace talks but has yet to reach a deal with the government.
The group has said if its demands are not met, it would call for self-determination in areas it controls in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan provinces.
Follow Us
