Sudanese government reaches ceasefire with key Darfuri rebel group

Nairobi/N'Djamena/Khartoum (Earth Times) - The Sudanese government and one of the most important rebel groups in the troubled region of Darfur have agreed to the outlines of a ceasefire deal, reported the Sudan Tribune newspaper Saturday. Chadian President Idriss Deby mediated the talks between the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudanese presidential adviser Salah Al-Deen in Chad's capital, N'Djamena, reported the paper.

Conflict has continued in the western Sudanese region of Darfur since 2003, with local rebel groups fighting a government they say oppresses black Africans in the region.

But Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir said during a campaign event Saturday that there would soon be "good news about the negotiations for a lasting peace in Darfur. That would be the end of the fighting in Darfur."

But JEM spokesman Ahmed Hussein Adam warned against heightened expectations.

"This is a framework agreement, not a peace deal," he said. But he did note that the agreement included a temporary ceasefire. A permanent ceasefire could only be negotiated, he said, once arrangements are made about prisoners of war, humanitarian conditions and the status of refugees of the fighting in Darfur.

Sudan's first presidential and parliamentary elections in 20 years are scheduled for April.