Sudan’s government and rebels are to sign a landmark peace deal Saturday in a bid to end decades of war in which hundreds of thousands died — a historic achievement if it holds.
Ending Sudan’s internal conflicts has been a top priority of the transition government in power since last year’s ouster of longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir amid a popular pro-democracy uprising.
Both sides are due to sign the deal in full on Saturday in Juba, the capital of neighboring South Sudan, after putting their initials to the agreement at the end of last month.
The location of the ceremony holds great significance — South Sudan’s leaders themselves battled Khartoum as rebels for decades, before establishing the world’s newest nation-state.
“This is a historic day. We hope that the signing will end the fighting forever and pave the way for development,” Suleiman al-Dabailo, chairman of Sudan’s Peace Commission, told AFP.
The Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), an alliance of rebel groups from the Darfur, Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan regions, too voiced hope for lasting peace.
“This day marks the success of our revolution and our fight against the old regime,” SRF spokesman Oussama Said told AFP.
“The agreement tackles the roots of the crisis and paves the way for democracy,” he said, stressing that it is in line with the goals of the popular revolution, “freedom, peace and justice”.
