Sudanese First Vice President Ali Osman Taha on Saturday declared as complete a peace accord to end 21 years of civil war in the south, but which does not deal with separate violence in the western region of Darfur. Thousands of Sudanese greeted Taha upon his return to Khartoum from the talks in Kenya, where delegations from the government and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) on Friday signed the final chapters of the peace deal. The agreements pave the way to a comprehensive deal ending Africa's longest running civil war. Taha and SPLM leader John Garang are due to sign a total of eight accords on Jan. 9. "The peace agreement is finished completely and there are no differences remaining," Taha told a crowd at the headquarters of the ruling National Congress. "What will take place next is merely a signing ceremony," he said. Taha called on the Darfur rebels to ready themselves for a new round of peace talks, which were suspended in December.
