Chad and Sudan signed a peace deal aimed at ending their border
tensions late Wednesday at the conclusion of a one-day mini summit
of African countries in Libya's capital of Tripoli.
Sudanese President Omar Ahmed al-Bashir and his Chadian
counterpart Idriss Deby endorsed the peace accord, with leaders
from Libya, Congo, Central Africa and Burkina Faso vowing to
support the pact.
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The deal calls on Sudan and Chad not to interfere with each other's
internal affairs, not to support armed rebels from the other side,
and to stop the hostile press campaigns against each other.
Sudanese and Chadian leaders also agreed to solve the dispute by
peaceful means, to step up efforts to build mutual trust, and to
open consulates in each other's border cities.
Leaders attending the summit agreed to set up a ministerial
committee to oversee the implementation of the agreement.
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the host of the summit, also
urged Sudan and Chad to disarm rebel groups and to temporarily
close their borders.
Chad has accused Sudan of sheltering and backing Chadian rebels
in its violent Darfur region. Khartoum has repeatedly denied the
charge.
(Xinhua News Agency February 9, 2006)
