WASHINGTON (AFP) ? The United States on Thursday hailed a peace accord between Sudan's government and a Darfur rebel group and urged other factions critical of the deal to come to negotiations.
The United States voiced gratitude to Qatar, which mediated the agreement between Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir and the Liberation and Justice Movement signed in the presence of another four African leaders.
"This agreement is a positive step forward on the road toward a lasting solution to the crisis in Darfur," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement.
"We will continue to press those armed movements which refuse to participate in the peace negotiations -- particularly the Sudan Liberation Army factions of Abdelwahid Nur and Minni Minnawi -- to engage fully in the peace process," he said.
Another main armed group, the Justice and Equality Movement, criticized the accord as failing to solve Darfur's problems and said it merely offered jobs to those who signed it.
Toner also urged Sudan to "affirm its openness" to further negotiations on a comprehensive peace in Darfur.
At least 300,000 people have been killed in Darfur and 1.8 million people fled their homes since the conflict broke out in 2003 between non-Arab rebels and the Arab-dominated Khartoum regime, according to the United Nations.
The government puts the death toll at 10,000.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.