By Opheera McDoom KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's transitional government and factions of the Revolutionary Front have signed a political declaration and ceasefire deal as part of a new roadmap that allows the resumption of stalled peace talks.
The two sides signed the documents at a ceremony at the presidential palace in the southern Sudanese capital Juba on Monday. The deal allows humanitarian aid to be transferred to war-torn areas in Sudan for the first time in eight years, according to Reuters.
The Sudanese government was signed by Mohamed Hamdan Doklo (Humaidati), Vice-President of the Sudanese sovereignty council, and the Revolutionary Front Hedi Idris, in the presence of the President of the State of South Sudan Salva Kiir Mayardit, and representatives of the United Nations, the European Union and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
"The agreement opens a new chapter in the history of Sudan, and aims to stop marginalization, exclusion and injustice," he said in a speech after the signing ceremony. He believed that peace would open a new path for the country and appealed to the international community to support the process.
"We signed the documents because we have a revolutionary will to achieve peace, so we reached a ceasefire and political declaration in just one week," he said.
For his part, Hedi Idris stressed the commitment of the Revolutionary Front to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in Sudan, and stressed that the front is an essential part of the Sudanese revolution, which must be completed by achieving peace in the country.
The signing of the documents comes after the two sides reached an agreement on the road map last Friday. The parties agreed on Monday to resume talks after two weeks.
The RUF comprises three armed movements fighting the government forces: the Sudan Liberation Movement (fighting in Darfur), the SPLM-JN, Malik Akar (fighting in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states), and the Justice and Equality Movement (fighting in Darfur).
On the other hand, said Yasir Arman, Vice-President of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement - the northern sector that the introduction of humanitarian aid was rejected by the regime of former President Omar al-Bashir for eight years. He added that the armed movements felt that they had a partner in Khartoum, and that the revolution had created a new atmosphere.
The head of state of South Sudan has been mediating between the Sudanese transitional government and armed movements since the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir against the backdrop of popular protests against his rule.