The Community of Sant'Egidio expresses its satisfaction at the signing of the Framework and Ceasefire Agreement that the government of Sudan and the main Darfur rebel group the Justice and Equaliìty Movement (JEM) in Doha, Qatar. By 15 March  a global agreement will be reached.
 
The Community of Sant'Egidio, that has been working since 2003 in the search for a peaceful solution to the conflict in Darfur, actively participates in the ongoing negotiations in Doha and believes that it is a significant step towards a comprehensive and lasting peace for civilians that in recent years have suffered much because of a violent conflict of which they are not responsible.
 
The Community of Sant'Egidio congratulates the parties, with the government of Qatar and with the joint mediation UN-African Union and takes this opportunity to underline the spirit of cooperation demonstrated in recent months during the talks.

The agreement reached is a further demonstration that the synergy between institutional and non institutional  entities can lead to effective results.
 
In this spirit, the Community of Sant'Egidio will continue to work so that the other rebel movements may also take the path of negotiation.
 
The signing today provides the withdrawal of more than 100 death sentences in Sudan as demanded by Sant'Egidio, which for years has promoted a worldwide campaign to abolish the death penalty.
 
For information contact Mario Giro 335 6791729 (in Rome) or Vittorio Scelzo 328 5938388 (in Doha).