Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) said today it was ready to sign a temporary ceasefire with Khartoum, adding that a “framework agreement” on the terms of future peace talks could be imminent.
JEM, thought to be Darfur’s most powerful insurgent force, said the deal would be a step forward but would not mark the end of its struggle with Khartoum.JEM spokesman Ahmed Hussein told Reuters that this is not the end of anything but rather a start.
Mr. Hussein was speaking from N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, where he said the rebels held talks with a Sudanese government delegation for the last three days.
He added that the framework agreement would be a set of guiding principles – a short document to be used as a reference for all the detailed issues to be discussed later by the parties.
Mr. Hussein added that JEM was ready to sign a temporary ceasefire as soon as the terms of the framework agreement were agreed.