New York: Welcoming the ceasefire between the Sudan government and the main rebel group in Darfur, UN Chief Ban Ki-moon has urged the fighting groups to reach a permanent peace pact over the war-torn region.
The Framework Agreement for the Resolution of the Conflict in Darfur was reached in N`djamena and signed in Doha where the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Khalil Ibrahim, the head of the Justice and Equality movement, were present.
"The Agreement represents an important step towards an inclusive and comprehensive peace agreement for Darfur, which will address the underlying causes of the conflict and the concerns of all Darfurian communities," Ban`s spokesperson Martin Nesirky said in a statement.
"The Secretary-General looks forward to the full implementation of the Agreement`s provisions, and encourages all parties to engage in the inclusive Doha peace process with flexibility and political vision, and to agree on a definitive political settlement of the Darfur crisis," he added.
The fighting between the Arab-dominated government and the ethnic African tribes has raged for more than seven years killing thousands of people and displacing over two million people. The International Criminal Court has indicted Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Bashir, according to reports, had told crowds in El Fasher in Darfur that the crisis was over. "The war in Darfur is over. Darfur is now at peace," he said. New agencies on the
ground in Khartoum also reported that following the ceasefire 57 prisoners of JEM had been released.
The African tribes in Darfur have maintained that they have been economically and politically marginalised by the Arab government for decades. In the follow-up peace talks, the rival groups are expected to reach some sort a political agreement, which will allow some power-sharing.
Ceasefires, however, have been signed before and broken. While JEM is the largest rebel group in Darfur, smaller ones like the action of the Sudanese Liberation Army led by Abdelwahid Nur who is exiled in France.
PTI
