Sudan’s Largest Rebel Group Signs Peace Deal in Darfur

A breakthrough for peace in Sudan’s bloody Darfur region has been made, as the largest rebel group has agreed to sign a peace deal with the government, African Union mediators have reported.

|TOP|SLM leader Minni Minnawi had returned to the talks after a late-night session, and this resulted in an historic breakthrough being made.

However, two smaller groups have also stated that they were not satisfied with the terms of the peace deal being offered, but the government has nevertheless agreed to sign.

Representatives from the international community have stated that the present deal represents the best hopes for peace in Darfur.

African Union spokesman, Noureddine Mezni said, “It's done. Minni is going to sign. He has accepted with some reservations on power sharing... but he is going to sign.”

A setback did come though, as the smallest rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem) departed the talks saying it wanted fundamental changes to the document.

|QUOTE|Jem Chief Negotiator, Ahmed Tugod, emphasised the rebels' demands for the post of vice-president in the Khartoum government and for Darfur to have a greater portion of nation’s wealth.

Tugod simply said, “We decided not to sign it unless changes are made.”

Another rebel group, the Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM), which is divided into 2 factions, saw its smaller faction also refuse to sign the agreement.

A representative said, “We need the document to be improved upon.”

Mediators to the talks have made it known that they are now hoping Mr Minnawi will be able to persuade the other two rebel groups to change their minds and to sign up to the peace agreement. However, the BBC, reporting from the negotiations, explain that this looks very doubtful.

Earlier this year, the offices of Christian Aid’s key partner, the Sudan Social Development Organisation (SUDO), in west Darfur were closed.

|AD|“We totally condemn this latest attack on the work of humanitarian agencies in Darfur,” said Mike Noyes, manager of the Christian Aid East and Horn of Africa Programme.

“Our work in the region is increasingly difficult because of the deteriorating security situation. The use of this NGO bill is just another tool of the government of Sudan to restrict our purely humanitarian work.”

Christian Aid fears the new legislation will further undermine the work of human rights and humanitarian organisations.

The conflict in Darfur has been ongoing for three years and has claimed more than 200,000 lives, with more than 2 million being displaced. Mediators have said that this will be the last attempt to secure peace for the troubled region.

2003 was the year in which rebels first spoke out against the government, as it accused it of discriminating against the black African residents in the area. Following this, a bloody and terrifying campaign was launched by the pro-government Arab Militia, which was labelled as “genocide” by the US government.

However, the Sudanese government has always denied backing the Janjaweed militias, who are known to have killed, raped and looted openly across the region.

Christian Aid described the region: “The situation in Sudan remains desperate. Thousands have been killed in the Darfur and Malakal area and more than 1.8 million are sheltering in makeshift camps, having fled their homes to escape the fighting. As hundreds of thousands of men, women and children face continued violence, starvation, malaria and other fatal diseases, the UN is calling this the worst humanitarian disaster of the decade.”

Even though a big step has been taken to securing peace in the Darfur region, it is clear there is still a long way to go in restoring full peace and harmony to the region.