Govt welcomes signing of agreement to end Sudan civil war

The Irish Government has welcomed the signing of a peace deal between the Sudanese authorities and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, a rebel group that controls much of the south of the country.

The deal, signed in Nairobi yesterday, officially ends 21 years of violence between the two sides that has killed thousands of people and displaced millions more.

Welcoming the agreement today, Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern said he hoped it would pave the way for a similar political settlement in the Darfur region of Sudan.