SUDAN After 21 years of war, nation sees glimmer of hope

As of now, a cease-fire is in place.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
BILAL, Sudan -- Finally, after 21 years, there's a glimmer of hope that an end may be near to the war between Sudan's Islamic government and the Christian and animist rebels in the country's south.
But for thousands of southerners who have spent years as refugees, whether they can go home anytime soon depends on the resolution of Sudan's other conflict, the one still raging in Darfur in Sudan's west.
"If I head south, the Arabs will kill me," said Martin Atok, 37, referring to the pro-government Arab militias called the janjaweed who have been targeting black African tribesmen in Darfur as part of a campaign the United States has labeled genocide. "The war has blocked our way home."
Action last week
Last week, under pressure from the United Nations Security Council, Sudan's government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement promised to clinch by year's end a long-sought, U.S.-brokered deal to end the war in the south, which has killed 2.2 million people.
Most of the major differences have been ironed out, and there's currently a cease-fire in place.
The agreement, molded over three years of talks in the Kenyan resort town of Naivasha, provides for sharing oil revenue and power and provides for a vote on self-determination.
But the accord has yet to be signed, in part out of suspicion that the rebels in the south might support rebels in Darfur