Southern Sudan signed a cease-fire on Wednesday with a renegade general four days before the oil-rich region votes in an independence referendum likely to create the world’s newest country. Fears of internal fighting have plagued the area despite excitement among southerners that independence could bring them peace after decades of conflict.
Lt. Gen. George Athor defected from the southern army last year to run for governor in Jonglei State, the largest and most volatile of the south’s 10 states. After losing the vote in April, General Athor revolted against the southern government. The revolt represented a significant security threat as the country prepared for Sunday’s weeklong referendum.
Southern Sudan’s vice president, Riek Machar, presided over the signing of the cease-fire in Juba, the south’s capital. The deal included terms for the reintegration of General Athor’s dissident forces in the southern army. Abraham Thon, the head of General Athor’s delegation, said the deal was “the end to all the troubles of the people of southern Sudan.”
David Gressly, head of the United Nations mission in Southern Sudan, said the agreement was “one more reflection of the many steps that have been taken since 2005,” when a north-south peace deal was signed, ending more than two decades of war.
Source: New York Times
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