Government, Rebels in South Sudan Sign Peace Agreement in Khartoum Today

The government and rebels in the State of South Sudan signed a peace agreement in Khartoum under the auspices of the Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, Abdel General Fattah Al-Burhan.

The newly signed agreement puts an end to a civil war that lasted for several years.

The Sudanese mediator, Maj. Gen. Hamza Yousef, described the agreement as "the peace of the brave."

He said that "Sudan has put all its capabilities to assist the fraternal brothers in the state of South Sudan, out of a sense of responsibility to end the phase of the war, supporting and sponsoring it in order to reach peace."

In turn, a member of the Sovereign Council in Sudan, Lieutenant-Gen. Shams El-Din Al-Kabbashi, stressed the "necessity of achieving the security arrangements clause."

He noted that it is "a vital and essential clause in the success of the agreement, which was neglected by those concerned with the Juba Peace Agreement in Sudan."

Al-Kabbashi called for "working to activate the four freedoms clauses between Sudan and the state of South Sudan," explaining that they are "one people, and fate decided to be pided into two countries."

For his part, the leader of the opposition "Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA)", Lieutenant-General Simon Karawij, praised Sudan's role.

He said, "The real test of the agreement is its enforcement through the security arrangements at the center of the agreement."

He expressed his readiness to "put the building blocks of the agreement into effect from now on and for a period of 3 months."

However, the adviser to the President of the State of South Sudan, General Tut Galwak, affirmed his gratitude for the role played by Sudan in the success of the peace process in the south and expressed his country’s government’s willingness to work hard to effectively implement the agreement.