Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir today signed a ceasefire deal with Darfur's most powerful rebel group as part of an agreement setting the terms of peace negotiations.
Although the accord with the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) is a step forward, Bashir will have to do much more to achieve his stated aim of "healing" the Darfur conflict.
JEM is not the only rebel group in Darfur, and the insurgent Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) headed by Paris-based Abdel Wahed Mohamed el-Nur rejects the deal and says it will keep fighting. "We are interested in peace, but not this ceremonial peace," Nur told Reuters.
Nur's SLA says it still controls territory and has the loyalty of hundreds of thousands of Darfuris, despite recent reports of infighting among its supporters.
JEM may have the largest military insurgent force. But its leadership is dominated by one clan of the Zaghawa ethnic group. No deal will hold without the support of the region's many other groups.
Sudan will offer JEM government posts as part of a future peace deal to end conflict in Sudan's west, according to documents setting out the terms of negotiations seen by Reuters.
The documents were the first concrete sign that Khartoum is prepared to share power with its bitter foe in the western region - a development that could alienate existing allies there and complicate preparations for April elections.
But JEM rebels played down chances of reaching a final peace pact by March 15th, as outlined in a framework deal for peace talks that was signed in the Qatari capital Doha.
Another rebel official said the deadline was unrealistic, and rebels reported fresh violence in Darfur two days after an initial version of the framework peace deal was inked in Chad.
According to a French-language copy of the framework agreement, the JEM and Khartoum agreed to "the participation of the Justice and Equality Movement at all levels of government . . . in a manner to be agreed subsequently between the two parties".
The deal comes a year after Khartoum and the JEM met in Doha to agree to confidence-building measures designed to pave the way for the framework agreement and then full peace talks.
That process stalled after the JEM accused Khartoum of attacking its positions days after the ceasefire and of failing to carry out agreed measures, including freeing JEM captives.
Reuters