Qatar will set up a USD 1 billion development fund for the conflict-torn region of Darfur, Al Jazeera reports. The announcement was made during a convention between the Sudanese government and Justice Equality Movement in Doha, Qatar. The convention also featured the signing of a framework agreement between the two parties to formalize their ceasefire truce.
Organization of the Islamic Conference Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu welcomed the agreement and encouraged the international community to support this ongoing peace process. Ihsanoglu, who was speaking at a separate preparatory meeting for an upcoming Sudan donors conference, urged other armed groups in Darfur that did not participate in the Doha convention to join the ongoing efforts to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the conflict in Darfur. OIC will host the Donor Conference for Development and Reconstruction in Darfur in Cairo in March, Global Arab Network reports.
