OSINT SUMMARY
On Tuesday 9th August 2016, Sudanese prominent rebel groups signed a peace deal brokered by African Union (AU) mediators aimed at putting to an end years of deadly conflicts in Sudan's strife-torn Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan regions.
Rebels conflicts in Sudan has left tens of thousands killed and millions displaced over the years especially in three regions as ethnic minority groups rebelled against President Omar al-Bashir’s Arab-dominated government.
The conflicts have also made humanitarian assistance/delivery difficult leaving thousands affected and unreachable.
While Khartoum representatives signed the roadmap to ceasefire, previously such efforts stalled in March after prominent rebel groups refused to come on board for talks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The AU-brokered peace deal paves way for a permanent ceasefire and consequently eases ways to deliver humanitarian aid to the three affected areas.
The fighting in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan has wasted lot of resources from the economy and has been the main hindrance of economic progress that so far has left Sudan with debts.
Sudan owes tens of billions of dollars in debt, and is under a US trade embargo.
Notable is the never ending civil war in neighbouring South Sudan that has further impacted Khartoum's economic recovery.
