Sudan’s authorities and rebels signed Saturday, in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, a landmark peace deal in a bid to end decades of war in which hundreds of thousands died.
Under the deal, rebels will be incorporated into joint units with government security forces.
In addition, the ceremony location in Juba has a nice significance that South Sudan leaders themselves battled in Khartoum as rebels for decades, earlier than establishing the world’s latest nation-state.
According to News reports, ending Sudan's internal conflicts has been a top priority for the transition government since last year's ouster of longtime President Omar al-Bashir amid a popular pro-democracy uprising.
On other hand, Suleiman al-Dabailo, Sudan's Peace Commission chairman, explained that this is a historic day and they hope that the signing will end the fighting forever and pave the way for development.
The Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), an alliance of rebel groups from the Darfur, Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan regions, voiced hope for lasting peace, according to AFP.
Sudan’s authorities and rebels
The (SRF) added that the day marks the success of their revolution and fight against the old regime. The agreement also tackles the roots of the crisis and paves the way for democracy and comes in line with the goals of the popular revolution, freedom, peace, and justice.
The agreement covers a number of tricky issues, from land ownership, reparations and compensation to wealth and power-sharing and the return of refugees and internally displaced people.
*Decades of war
Multiple civil wars have raged since independence in 1956, together with the 1983-2005 war that led to the secession of the south.
The devastating war in Darfur from 2003 left not less than 300,000 inpiduals lifeless and a pair of.5 million displaced in its early years, in accordance with the United Nations.
Tensions have been heightened in Sudan, by financial hardship, particularly after the 2011 secession of Juba.
However, there are insurgent teams who’ve refused to enroll in the deal. For example; the Darfur-based Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) faction led by Abdelwahid Nour, launched an assault last Monday.
Peace Deal with Rebels
Also, the South Kordofan-based wing of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, signed a separate ceasefire settlement.
Noteworthy, in Khartoum, the finance ministry explained that it is developing a plan to implement the agreement because the region's youth need to work, millions of displaced need help to return home and the people who have suffered from the war have the right to benefit from peace through development.