UN chief welcomes “historic” peace deal between Sudan transitional gov’t and five rebel groups
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed a peace agreement signed between Sudan’s transitional government and several rebel groups.
Guterres also thanked South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir for facilitating the talks as Sudan continues its search for lasting peace.
“The Secretary-General is fully committed to supporting the implementation of this agreement, which marks the start of a new era for the people of the Sudan and for people living in Darfur and the Two Areas, in particular,” said a statement from Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
“The United Nations will also support Sudanese stakeholders in longer-term peacebuilding efforts aimed at achieving accountability and consolidating peace and security gains,” he added.
According to Reuters, the opposition groups that signed the peace agreement include the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Minni Minawi’s Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), both of the western region of Darfur, and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Malik Agar, present in South Kordofan and Blue Nile.
The agreement covers issues including security, land ownership, transitional justice, power-sharing and the return of people who fled their homes due to war.
Sudan’s Darfur region has been dogged by conflict for 17 years, killing hundreds of thousand and displacing millions others.
