Next steps to peace in Darfur

"It's not perfect, but Minni controls most of the forces on the ground and it's something that he felt that he could live with. There was a real feeling that we had to grab at this chance now," says one African diplomat who was not cleared to speak to the press. At least 200,000 people have died and 2 million have been displaced since the war in Darfur started three years ago. A series of previous ceasefires has been left in tatters.

Crucially, this pact seeks to contain and disarm janjaweed fighters before the rebels are asked to withdraw from their positions. Some 4,000 rebel fighters will also be incorporated into the army and 1,500 into the police force to help rebuild trust in the authorities. Villagers forced to flee their homes will receive compensation, and the impoverished Darfur region will get a one-time infusion of $300 million, and $200 million a year later. Darfurians will be asked to vote on whether they want a regional government and given representation at a national level through the post of a presidential adviser, the fourth-highest office in the country.

Cameron Hume, the US Charge d'Affaires in Khartoum, said the breakthrough had finally come during negotiations over security arrangements. Reaching an agreement on the number of rebels to be integrated into government forces and a strict timetable for disarming the janjaweed had finally tipped Mr. Minnawi into signing, he said. American diplomats insisted on "checks on the process of disarming the janjaweed, like removing all their heavy weapons ... deliberately identified milestones that could be confirmed and certified by [the African Union peacekeeping mission in Sudan]."

Earlier in the negotiating process, the North American Treaty Organization (NATO) had offered to play a role in an expanded Darfur peacekeeping effort if a peace accord were reached. But some Africa experts say even a peacekeeping force enlarged beyond the 7,000 troops the African Union now has in Darfur should be left to Africans - both to avoid the impact of what might be viewed as a Western intervention, but also because they say Africa needs to learn to solve its own problems and not remain dependent on outside saviors.

"If NATO goes in and solves the crisis in Darfur, when the next one comes along Africa's leaders will just sit back," says George Ayittey, an economist specializing in Africa at the American University in Washington.

"It's not for the US to solve either, it's what the African Union should do," adds Mr. Ayittey, a native of Ghana. "The US should focus on building the capacity of Africa to deal with these problems."

However, international relief workers say the situation on the ground has worsened in recent months, with fighting between the government and different rebel factions severely restricting access.

"The African Union has shown that they are not up to the job and the Sudanese government has no interest in providing security for us. We need to bring in the United Nations," insists one humanitarian worker, who asks not to be named for fear of reprisals against her organization, which has suffered several armed robberies recently.

Ann-Louise Colgan, director of policy analysis at Africa Action, an Africa advocacy group in Washington, says Darfur - which has been called a case of genocide by Mr. Bush - transcends the issues of a regional conflict.

"The African Union has shown leadership in addressing this crisis, and on the ground their troops have done what they can. But we have never felt this is a problem that is regional or African only," she says. "What's happening in Darfur is a crime against humanity, and that requires international intervention."

• Staff writer Howard LaFranchi contributed to this report from Washington.

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