Bashir in Doha to sign Darfur ceasefire
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Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir Monday arrived in Qatar to engage in talks with rebel groups that is expected to finalize a ceasefire in Darfur.
The Sudanese president came to Doha after Khartoum on Saturday reached a ceasefire agreement with Darfur's main rebel group the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).
The JEM said the long-awaited deal, to be signed formally Tuesday in Doha, would guide future peace negotiations, including talks on a permanent ceasefire, and a final agreement is expected to reach in mid March.
But the rebel group did not rule out abortion if the negotiators could not agree on key issues.
Al-Bashir is scheduled to hold talks with Qatari Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno before attending the expected signing ceremony on Tuesday.
The deal, although dubbed a framework, was a big step in the peace process in Darfur, where heavy fightings since 2003 between ethnic rebels and the Sudanese government forces have left around 300,000 people dead and 2.7 million others displaced.
If Khartoum could finalize a peace deal with the JEM as scheduled, other rebel groups in the western Sudanese region may also be attracted to the negotiating table towards ending the crisis.
Qatar has been a prime mediator between the Sudanese government and the rebel groups and hosted several rounds of negotiations and two rounds of direct talks in past years.
