Turkey welcomes Sudan's deal with armed groups

ANKARA

Turkey on Oct. 4 welcomed the signing of a peace agreement between the Transitional Government of Sudan and the Armed Groups.

"We welcome the signing of the agreement, which was previously initialed, between the Transitional Government of Sudan and the armed opposition groups in Juba [on Oct. 3]," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement. 

"We believe that this agreement would constitute an important step towards the preservation of Sudan's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the statement said.

Turkey will continue to support all efforts aimed at attaining peace and stability in the “friendly and brotherly Sudan, it said.

Sudan's government and rebel groups on Oct. 3 signed a landmark peace deal aimed at ending decades of war in which hundreds of thousands have died.    

Cheers rang out as one by one, representatives from the transitional government and rebel groups signed the deal, a year after the peace talks began, at a ceremony in the South Sudanese capital Juba.    

The deal covers a number of tricky issues, from land ownership, reparations and compensation to wealth and power-sharing, and the return of refugees and internally displaced people.    

"For us today it is a historic day... this will stop the war... we are very committed to the implementation of all the protocols agreed upon," said the head of Sudan's transitional sovereign council General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

"This agreement will help Sudan to transform smoothly to a state of justice, citizenship, freedom and democracy."

Both al-Burhan and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, as well as the European Union and United Nations, called on two powerful holdout rebel groups to join the peace process.    

"We are waiting for you to achieve a comprehensive peace in Sudan," said Hamdok, who said the deal would not only silence the guns but also "stabilize the economy".            

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed the deal as a "milestone on the road to achieve sustainable peace" in a recorded video message.    

"Now it is critical that this agreement translates into tangible improvements in peoples' lives."    

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the deal "signifies an important milestone for the ongoing democratic and economic transition of Sudan".