Sudan, breakaway rebel group sign peace accord

June 7, 2007 (GENEINA) — The Sudanese government and the rebel group formed recently in the restive western Sudanese region of Darfur signed on Saturday a political protocol of implementing the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA).

The signing ceremony was held in Geneina, the capital of West Darfur State, marking the participation of the People’s Forces for Rights and Democracy in the DPA, which was signed in the Nigerian capital Abuja in May, 2006 between the Sudanese government and a main Darfur rebel faction.

The People’s Forces for Rights and Democracy was newly formed by militants defected from some rebel movements including the Redemption Front, the Justice and Equality Movement and Sudan Liberation Movement.

Addressing the signing ceremony, Sudanese Presidential Adviser Majzoub al-Khalifa stressed the government’s commitment to implementing the protocol “item by item”, which had given the DPA “strong validity and pushing power”.

He called on other rebel movements to follow the example of those who had signed the DPA with the government, saying that the Darfur problem should be resolved in the framework of the Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue.

(Xinhua)