Sudan Govt., Rebels Reach Accord on Ending Civil War

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, July 21, 2002

Sudan Govt., Rebels Reach Accord on Ending Civil War

The Sudanese government and southern rebels said on Saturday in Nairobi that they had reached an agreement on key issues aiming to end their 19-year civil war.

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The Sudanese government and southern rebels said on Saturday in Nairobi that they had reached an agreement on key issues aiming to end their 19-year civil war.

Following five weeks of talks in the Kenyan town of Machakos, 45 km southeast of Nairobi, delegates from the government of Sudanand the rebel Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) said that they had reached agreement on the separation of state and religionas well as self-determination for the people in southern Sudan.

"We have agreed on a structure which resolves the basic question of state versus religion and self-determination (for the south)," head of the government delegation Ghazi Salah al-Din told a press conference.

SPLA spokesman Samson Kwaje said that "the most critical issues have been solved," including the government's attempts to impose Islamic law on southern Sudan where most residents follow other religions.

Both men said that the talks next month, which will again be held in Kenya, would focus on integrating the rebel leaders into the national government, sharing the country's oil wealth, ensuring security and organizing a ceasefire.

At the same press conference, Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi,who hosted this round of peace talks, called the agreement historic and urged the delegates to reach a final agreement beforehe retires later this year.

��"I am sure you are aware that I'm soon going to retire as president and I would wish you to give me peace in southern Sudan as gift for my retirement," he said.

Moi appealed to both parties to show restraint and cease hostilities as a way of building confidence during the period of negotiations to allow "unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance."

Sudan's civil war broke out in 1983 when the rebels took up arms against the predominantly Arab and Muslim northern governmentin an attempt to obtain greater autonomy for the south where most people follow traditional beliefs and Christianity.

As many as 2 million people are estimated to have been killed during the conflict, mainly due to war-induced drought, and another 4 million have been forced to flee their homes.

The Machakos talks opened on June 17 and observers from Norway,Britain and the United States have been sitting in for the first time in a decade of inconclusive talks held under the auspices of the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development.

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