ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) Thanks in part to last-minute U.S. diplomacy, two years of Darfur peace talks beset by setbacks and frustration ended with a signing ceremony between the government and the largest rebel faction Friday.

Now the hard part: ensuring pledges to stop the fighting and begin rebuilding translate to an end to Darfur’s suffering. The key may be a robust U.N. peacekeeping force, which Sudan’s government has indicated it is willing to accept.

While the main Darfur rebel group signed the accord, two others rejected it, saying it did not go far enough to meet their demands for security and power-sharing guarantees and compensation for war victims. Optimism was muted by the two groups’ absence and by a history of failure to live up to agreements.
usatoday.com

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