Breakaway factions from two Darfur rebel groups that rejected last month's peace accord have signed a declaration of commitment to the deal. Although the main faction of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement signed the May 5 peace with the Khartoum government, a splinter faction held out until Thursday. So did the south Darfur faction of the Justice and Equality Movement."We shall be bound by the letter and spirit of the [Darfur Peace Accord] and shall assume and implement the relevant obligations therein, especially those related to the comprehensive ceasefire agreement," the letter said. Said Djinnit, the African Union peace and security commissioner, said after the signing ceremony in Addis Ababa that "the former holdouts should do their utmost to urge their respective members and fellow Darfurians to join the peace process".
| This will work about as well as agreements usually work in Sudan, which is somewhat less well than they work in the rest of the Arab world. |