U.S. and European media

February 25, 2023

The following editorial appeared in the Washington Post: Sudan truce offers some hope for peaceful change.  Ravaged by war and genocide, ruled by a dictator who has been indicted for war crimes, Sudan is a prime candidate to become a crisis for the Obama administration. But there is also a small chance for peace and groundbreaking change in the next year. A hint of that came on Tuesday, when President Omar Hassan al-Bashir signed a truce with the biggest rebel group from the region of Darfur. A full peace accord remains to be worked out, and previous truces have fallen through. But this deal -- brokered by a U.N. and African Union team, with help from the government of Qatar -- looks somewhat more promising, and it comes at an auspicious moment.

Voice of America: In Sudan, A Step Toward Ending Darfur Conflict.  The Sudanese government this week signed a truce with the most powerful rebel group in Darfur, as part of a pledge to end the region's seven-year conflict.  Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir signed the cease-fire with the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) last night in Qatar.

UN News Centre: Darfur: recent fighting leaves 1,500 displaced and without aid, UN reports.  Over 1,500 people have been displaced by increased fighting in the western part of Sudan's war-torn Darfur region and very few agencies have been able to provide them with desperately-needed aid due to lack of security, the United Nations reported today.

Reuters: Darfur rebels say attacked by army, war not over.  A Darfur rebel group accused the Sudanese army on Thursday of attacking its positions on the same day that the president declared the Darfur war over, and aid workers said 100,000 people had fled the surge of fighting.

New York Times: Regional Shift Helps Darfur, Amid Doubts.   The preliminary peace treaty signed Tuesday night between the most powerful rebel movement in Darfur and the Sudanese government is the culmination of a shift in regional politics that could help bring Darfur's sputtering conflict to an end, Sudan observers say.  But many are still skeptical.

BBC: Darfur rebels freed after Sudan peace deal.  Sudan has freed 57 prisoners from a key Darfur rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem), officials say.  President Omar al-Bashir announced the releases during a speech in Darfur's capital El Fasher, and declared: "The war is over."

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