South Sudan foes agree to withdraw forces from 'urban areas'

KHARTOUM – South Sudan's government and rebels agreed to a Sudanese official said, they have signed a security deal aimed at ending a four-and-a-half year war.

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"Sudanese chief of military intelligence" Jamal Omar said at the signing ceremony in Khartoum.

The agreement comes days after South Sudanese arch-foes President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar agreed on a permanent ceasefire, raising hopes of an end to the conflict that has devastated the world's youngest country.

Friday's deal in the latest round of peace talks hosted by neighbouring Khartoum was signed at Sudan's defense ministry and attended by Machar, South Sudanese government officials and journalists.

Omar said a security committee it would also be set up to monitor the implementation of the deal, which allows the opening of humanitarian corridors to deliver aid

"The security deal stipulates that there will be no military presence in churches, villages, schools and camps," he said

Sudanese Foreign Minister Al-Dierdiry Ahmed said the warring factions

"It's time for our brothers to put down their weapons," Ahmed said at the ceremony. He told AFP that the rival groups had also entered talks on power-sharing, the President of Yoweri Museveni, Kiir and their Sudanese Counterpart President Omar al-Bashir.

Significant progress

Two years after separating from Sudan in 2011, oil-rich South Sudan plunged into a million-year-old man, after Kiir accused his then Deputy Chairman of the International Criminal Court,

An initial round of talks was Abidjan, Khartoum, Khartoum

Kiir and Machar agreed on a permanent nationwide ceasefire on June 27, signing what was dubbed the "Khartoum Declaration" in Bashir's presence. 19659004] Although the rebels accused the South Sudanese army of breaking the ceasefire, it was reported that the source of the violence was "

" Significant progress has "said Rajab Muhandis, a leading South Sudanese civil society activist in Khartoum.

The Khar

The Conflict in South Sudan

The Conflict in South Sudan in the United States of America The war, fired by the deep enmity between Kiir and Machar, spread to several states and was characterized by ethnic mbadacres, attacks on civilians, widespread rape, the recruitment of child soldiers and other human rights violations

AFP