N’DJAMENA, Chad (Agence France-Presse) — The Sudanese government and rebels from the western Darfur region yesterday made a deal on a cease-fire and humanitarian arrangements after more than a year of fighting that has claimed more than 10,000 lives.
Under the terms of the deal signed in the Chadian capital, the parties have agreed to cease hostilities within 72 hours, for a renewable period of 45 days.
They have also agreed to guarantee safe passage for humanitarian aid to the stricken region, to free prisoners of war and to disarm militias blamed for much of the violence.
The delegations have committed themselves to meeting again within 15 days in N’Djamena for new negotiations over political issues.
The agreement was signed by all the parties at the talks: the Sudanese government and the two rebel groups — the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement.
The United Nations and the United States have expressed alarm at the plight of 670,000 people displaced inside Sudan and an additional 100,000 who have fled across the border into eastern Chad.
Earlier yesterday, a diplomatic source said the talks stalled in the early hours of the morning on secondary issues relating to the cease-fire accord.
Khartoum’s delegates did not want the text to contain explicit references to the “Janjawid,” Arab militias allied to government troops, sources said.
These forces have been accused by the United Nations and nongovernmental organizations of “ethnic cleansing” and “atrocities” against civilians. The rebels insisted that references to Janjawid should be included in whatever accord was reached, the sources said.
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