Sudan: historic peace agreement initialed between government and armed groups
Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, present in Juba during the Darfur peace agreement initialed on August 31, 2020. (Illustration photo) REUTERS / Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
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The peace agreement for Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan was finally initialed on Monday, August 31, in Juba, South Sudan.
Ten months of discussions were needed to agree on the eight protocols that make up the agreement to end a seventeen year war in Sudan, particularly in Darfur, which has left at least 300,000 dead and 2.5 million displaced, according to the UN.
It was initialed in the presence of Abdel Fattah al-Burhane, head of the Sovereign Council and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, as well as Salva Kiir, President of South Sudan whose country is sponsoring these peace talks in Sudan.
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The five representatives of the armed groups from Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile initialed two separate copies of the voluminous agreement, made up of eight protocols.
On the government side, the agreement was initialed by General Hamdan Daglo, vice-president of the Sovereign Council.
He was also initialed, as a witness, by Salva Kiir, Head of State in South Sudan, as negotiators in the room let out their tears of joy.
The protocols revolve around security, justice, the return of refugees, the equitable distribution of wealth, participation in power or even the management of cultivable land.
The South Kordofan and the Blue Nile obtain, according to the agreement, autonomy from the federal state to which 40% of local revenues will be paid.
The agreement stipulates that the transitional period that started in 2019 in Sudan will be extended by 39 months, from this August 31.
It was the security talks that took the longest and that delayed the signing of the agreement, more than once.
Eventually, members of the armed movements in Darfur will be integrated into the regular army over a period of 15 months.
A joint force of 12,000 formed by state and rebel forces will have to deal with security in Darfur.
Only two main armed movements refused to participate in the discussions, but say they are not opposed in principle: the Popular Movement for the Liberation of North Sudan, Abdelaziz el-Hilou (SPLA-N) and the Sudan Liberation Movement.
► To read also: Tomorrow, peace in Sudan?
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Sudan
Abdalla Hamdok