The Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, commended the Sudanese government and the Sudanese Revolutionary Movements for initialling the landmark Juba Peace Agreement in Juba.

The Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), a coalition of rebel groups from the western region of Darfur and the southern states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, signed the peace agreement at a ceremony in Juba on Monday.

The agreement includes security arrangements, transitional justice, land ownership, power-sharing, and the return of refugees and displaced people to their areas.

In a press statement on Wednesday, Moussa Faki said that the initialling of the agreement is a historic moment in the Sudan peace process, which began almost one year ago in Juba, under the mediation of South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit.

The chairperson said he is encouraged that, by initializing the Juba Peace Agreement, the Sudanese  peace parties have translated into reality the aspiration of the 2020 theme of the AU on  “Silencing the Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa’s Development.”

He encouraged the Sudanese parties to maintain political will and determination so far displayed, to ensure effective implementation of these protocols.

In the same vein, Moussa Faki urged the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLA) led by Abdel-Wahid Mohamed Nur, and a faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North led by Abdel-Aziz al-Hilu, to continue to explore avenues with the Sudan government towards participation in the peace process.

He urged Sudan’s partners to support the country to make the peace agreement a reality so that the country can return to the path of development in peace. 

The chairperson reassured the Sudanese parties of the AU’s continued commitment to work with them and international partners, including the United Nations and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to end the conflicts in the country, and create the conducive environment for its development.