Sudan's government and Darfur rebels have agreed to a 60-day ceasefire and a peace summit sponsored by the African Union and the United Nations as steps towards stopping the violence in west Sudan, a visiting US official said on Wednesday.
The visiting US official is New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, who personally knows the leader of Sudan from what I have read. The website SaveDarfur.org has this press release:
Cease-Fire Agreement Offers a Moment of Opportunity for Political Settlement in Worsening Darfur Crisis
On Save Darfur Coalition trip, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson Gets Commitment For Cease-Fire and Improved Humanitarian Aid and Media Access To Darfur
Washington, D.C. – The Save Darfur Coalition welcomes the agreement reached today by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir that his government and rebel groups will cease hostilities for a period of 60 days while they work towards a lasting peace.
The cease-fire was one of several issues agreed to in talks between Governor Richardson and President al-Bashir in Khartoum on Wednesday. Governor Richardson traveled to Sudan at the invitation of the Save Darfur Coalition, and was accompanied by Save Darfur Senior International Coordinator Ambassador (ret.) Lawrence Rossin, Refugees International Executive Director Kenneth Bacon, and Public and International Law and Policy Group senior attorney Amjad Atallah."
tags: Terrorism, Darfur, Politics, Bill Richardson
