Gov’t, eastern rebels sign ceasefire as SPLM/A pulls out

The Sudanese government and rebels of the Eastern Front (EF) have signed a ceasefire and agreed on a framework for substantive peace talks to end a simmering civil conflict in east Sudan. Preparatory talks between the government and the EF - an alliance of two rebel movements, the Beja Congress and a smaller insurgency, the Rashaida Free Lions - began in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, on 13 June and concluded on Monday with the signing of two agreements. "They signed a declaration of principles - a framework for future talks - and an agreement on creating a conducive environment for peace, which includes a ceasefire, the lifting of the state of emergency, the release of prisoners of war, and an agreement to refrain from hostile media campaigns," an analyst in Asmara told IRIN on Tuesday. "The military ceasefire will take immediate effect," he added. "The declaration of principles opens the door for substantive talks, today." The eastern rebels have been active in the poor region near the Eritrean border, but fighting is sporadic and on a small scale. The EF has accused the Sudanese government of marginalising the remote regions of the country and has demanded greater autonomy. They see the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed between the government and the southern Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) on 9 January 2005 as a model for their own region. The analyst warned that despite Monday's agreements, many hurdles remained to reach a comprehensive peace deal. "The rebels have big demands and are very suspicious of the Khartoum government," he said. An eastern peace deal is urgently needed, various observers in the region have warned, as the pull-out of SPLM/A forces might leave a power vacuum that could trigger renewed hostilities between the remaining armed groups and government forces and disrupt the region’s relative stability. On Sunday, the SPLM/A commenced its final phase of redeployment and moved approximately 3,000 soldiers with all their arms and military equipment from the eastern Sudanese towns of Hamishkorieb to Kassala en route to south Sudan. The pullout is part of the overall plan for the armed forces of the SPLM/A to leave eastern Sudan. The CPA had set a deadline for the SPLM/A to redeploy to the south by 9 January, but that deadline could not be met mainly due to logistical delays. On 11 June, the SPLM/A already handed over Hamishkorieb town to the Kassala State authorities and Sudanese Armed Forces have subsequently moved into the area. Meanwhile, the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Sudan, Manuel Aranda Da Silva, told reporters in Khartoum on Monday that a recent increase in restrictions on access to camps of refugees and internally displaced persons in eastern Sudan was hampering humanitarian assistance. "Kassala and Red Sea states are probably the poorest part of Sudan, and strong development programmes are needed there," da Silva said. "Without access there can be no assistance - it is the government’s prerogative to decide what happens there." "Due to these access problems - not just in Hamishkorieb but the whole state - we are not able to get to water points to conduct rehabilitation; we are not able to implement educational activities. So it has a direct effect on children," said Ted Chaiban, Sudan representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef). Da Silva observed that the UN had signed basic agreements on movement and access with the government in December. "We have concerns that the agreement has been broken by these restrictions. Of course we will be engaging the government on the matter, particularly because the government is saying restrictions are not its policy."