[ad_1]
CAIRO – Leaders of Sudan’s transitional government and several rebel groups signed a peace agreement on Saturday in South Sudan’s capital Juba, which observers hope will end nearly two decades of conflict in the country’s regions. ravaged by war, including Darfur.
Sudan’s interim president Abdel Fattah al-Burhan captured the joyous atmosphere surrounding the peace agreement on Saturday, chanting “Sudan is our country and we are all brothers” to the large crowd gathered in Juba. He described the event optimistically.
Burhan said it was a great day for the fate of the people of Sudan, as the nation achieved the goal of a revolution, which is peace, after many years of war, ending the bloodshed and giving the people a decent standard of living.
Sudan’s Acting Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok thanked all factions and leaders who joined the peace agreement, ending his country’s bloody 17-year conflict, and urged the remaining two factions, which have not signed the peace agreement, to join.
He said that there can be no development without peace, and no peace without just and equitable development, all of which contribute to democracy. He added that the country was waiting for the two rebel leaders who did not sign the agreement, Abdel Aziz Helou and Abdel Wahad Nour, to join.
South Sudan President Salva Kiir, who oversaw months of difficult negotiations leading up to the August agreement, told the crowd that he was “delighted with the agreement” and “proud of the achievement,” as South Sudan itself , is still recovering from a long conflict.
Kiir also thanked the international community for their “support and encouragement” in brokering the agreement, insisting that “our work is not finished, and we will not relax until our aspirations for a peaceful region are achieved.” He warned the outside world that Sudan “needs your help and help.”
The leader of one of the factions that signed the joint peace agreement, Arko Minawi, stressed that it was a step in the right direction.
He said that sharing power during the interim period in Sudan would guarantee the rights of all and lead to a safe and lasting democracy.
The Sudanese peace agreement includes eight protocols and will restructure the country into eight regions, replacing the country’s current 18 provinces. The agreement also includes a provision to share wealth and reparations for those wounded by the long conflict, and promises the return of refugees displaced by the fighting.
