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Sudan, SPLA agree to ceasefire

Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Thursday, October 17, 2002

CAIRO Ñ Sudan and the main rebel group have agreed to a ceasefire as fighting raged in the eastern portion of the country.

The ceasefire is scheduled to begin on Thursday and will last throughout peace talks between the Khartoum regime and the Sudanese People's Liberation Army. Both sides have confirmed the agreement but refused to detail the terms of the truce.

SPLA representatives said the key questions of whether the ceasefire will include all fronts of the fighting had delayed a signing of the agreement. The government has refused to end fighting in southeastern Sudan, where rebels claimed successes over the last month.

Rebel sources said the terms of the agreement could be clarified on Wednesday, saying this could be the first time the two sides will link peace talks to a cessation of hostilities.

"This is the first time where we have signed a cessation of hostilities," SPLA spokesman Samson Kwaje said. "Both parties have signed so as to allow the talks to continue."

But a senior Sudanese official said the ceasefire does not include eastern Sudan. Fighting was reported to have continued in eastern Sudan on Tuesday as rebels and government forces battled near Hamashkorib. The town is located near the Eritrean border and was captured by the rebels earlier this month.

The two sides launched peace talks in August despite continued fighting. By early September, Khartoum bolted the talks, saying the SPLA had exploited the talks to capture the key city of Torit.

Last week, Sudanese forces recaptured Torit and both sides expressed a willingness to sign a ceasefire and return to the negotiating table. On Tuesday, Sudan reported continued military successes, saying troops recaptured the Loringo and Lofid areas in the southeast.

"Our forces Monday seized Loringo town and took control of Lofid mountains, about 35 kilometers away from Torit," Sudanese military spokesman Gen. Mohammed Beshir Suleiman said.

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