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| Sudan declares Darfur ceasefire | Sudan declares Darfur ceasefire |
| (21 minutes later) | |
| Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has announced an immediate ceasefire in the Darfur region of western Sudan. | Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has announced an immediate ceasefire in the Darfur region of western Sudan. |
| He also said his government would start disarming militias and restrict the use of weapons among armed forces. | He also said his government would start disarming militias and restrict the use of weapons among armed forces. |
| However, rebels fighting in the region did not take part in negotiations and have not agreed to the ceasefire. | |
| Previous ceasefires have failed, but Mr Bashir has recently come under mounting pressure after an international court issued a warrant for his arrest. | Previous ceasefires have failed, but Mr Bashir has recently come under mounting pressure after an international court issued a warrant for his arrest. |
| The International Criminal Court sought to indict him in July on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur. | The International Criminal Court sought to indict him in July on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur. |
| Up to 300,000 people have died and more than two million have fled their homes in Darfur since 2003. | |
| Monitoring | Monitoring |
| Mr Bashir made the announcement after hearing the final recommendations of the Sudan People's Initiative, a government-backed plan to find peace for Darfur. | |
| "I hereby announce our immediate unconditional ceasefire between the armed forces and the warring factions, provided that an effective monitoring mechanism is put into action and observed by all involved parties," Mr Bashir said. | "I hereby announce our immediate unconditional ceasefire between the armed forces and the warring factions, provided that an effective monitoring mechanism is put into action and observed by all involved parties," Mr Bashir said. |
| Many have criticised the initiative for failing to include any of Darfur's rebel groups. | |
| However, the government hopes this plan will be enough to convince the international community to defer the ICC case against Mr Bashir, says the BBC's Amber Henshaw in Sudan. | |
| Interviewed by the BBC on Tuesday before Mr Bashir's announcement, Sudan's Foreign Minister Deng Alor said any ceasefire would not come as a direct response to the ICC, but might influence it. | Interviewed by the BBC on Tuesday before Mr Bashir's announcement, Sudan's Foreign Minister Deng Alor said any ceasefire would not come as a direct response to the ICC, but might influence it. |
| "If we come up with the clear roadmap for Darfur, then I think we can have the moral authority to begin to ask... whether they could defer the decision by the ICC," he said. | "If we come up with the clear roadmap for Darfur, then I think we can have the moral authority to begin to ask... whether they could defer the decision by the ICC," he said. |
| One Western diplomat told our correspondent that the ceasefire was a step in the right direction, but it had to be followed by changes on the ground. |