United Nations Radio

The top UN envoy in Darfur has welcomed an agreement between the Government of Sudan and the Liberation and Justice Movement, or LJM, a collection of small rebel groups.

Sudanese children

The agreement comes just weeks after the government signed a similar pact with the more powerful Darfur rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement, or JEM.

Ibrahim Gambari, the Joint Special Representative of the African Union-UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), called the agreement "another important milestone on the path towards a comprehensive peace pact to end the deadly conflict that has engulfed the region for seven years".

The pact, signed Thursday in Doha, Qatar, includes taking steps towards a ceasefire between the two sides in Darfur, where an estimated 300,000 have been killed and almost two million others displaced since 2003.

Mr. Gambari said the deal should directly benefit UNAMID, because it means a comprehensive peace agreement "is coming closer to fruition and the peacekeeping mission will "have the peace to keep and the peace partners to work with."

He added that civil society in Darfur must be closely involved with the peace process. He urged the LJM and Khartoum "to uphold their commitment to dialogue and to be ready to make useful concessions, no matter how painful they may be, in the interest of peace, progress and development of their people."

Diane Bailey, United Nations
Duration: 1'26"