Sudan Announces Progress in Peace Talks with Rebel Leader

Sudanese authorities postponed negotiations on Tuesday with the strongest rebel leader in the south of the country, stating that both parties agreed on more than 75 percent of the framework for a peace agreement. Reaching an agreement with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu would be a significant step in efforts to resolve the decades-long internal conflict in Sudan following the ousting of President Omar al-Bashir in 2019. Last year, some rebels from the south and from the troubled Darfur region in the west signed a peace agreement that was supposed to be comprehensive. However, al-Hilu, who controls a large number of forces and a significant area of land in his stronghold in South Kordofan, did not join the agreement, nor did Abdel Wahid al-Nur, the leader of one of the most active groups in Darfur.