Sudan (Darfur)

A peace agreement between Sudanese authorities and key armed movements from Darfur could provide a path to national unity, the head of the joint UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said on Monday. Secretary-General António Guterres later described it as an "historic achievement" towards lasting peace.

Sudan’s power-sharing government signed a peace agreement with key rebel groups on Monday, a step towards resolving deep-rooted conflicts from the long rule of ousted leader Omar al-Bashir. Three major groups signed the deal, … . But two factions with the biggest presence on the ground in Darfur and the south did not sign, … .

The Sudanese transitional government and Darfur armed groups reached an agreement on the integration of the former combatants into the Sudanese army and the formation of a joint force to protect civilians.

The government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) held talks in neighbouring South Sudan and reached an agreement that covers the southern Nuba Mountains and the Blue Nile states, said Tut Gatluak, the South Sudanese chief mediator, late on Monday. 

Land disputes in Western Darfur’s Masteri town reportedly killed at least 61 people and injured more than 88. The July 25 attacks are blamed on armed nomads who targeted the African farming communities, triggering the mass exodus of at least 2,500 people from Sudan to Chad.

leiman al-Dabailo head of Sudan’s Peace Commission Monday discussed with a visiting UN delegation the prospects of cooperation between his body and the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) to bring peace to Sudan.

The joint UN-African Union Mission in Darfur, UNAMID, is calling for the Sudanese Government to arrest those responsible for the recent spike in violent attacks against peaceful protestors, civilians and displaced persons in various locations across the province. More than 60 people reportedly were killed, and 60 more injured, when armed men attacked Masteri Village, West Darfur, on Saturday, according to the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA - the latest in a series of incidents over the past week.

Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said the government would send security forces to conflict-stricken Darfur to "protect citizens and the farming season."