UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday welcomed the agreement between the Sudanese government and a rebel group to release prisoners in Darfur.
The agreement between the government and main rebel group Justice and Equality Movement was signed on February 17 in Doha and mediated by the Qatar government, dpa reported.
"This represents a concrete step in the ongoing efforts to negotiate a peaceful settlement in the Darfur conflict," Ban said in a statement.
He called on both sides to implement the agreement in good faith and work with the African Union and UN to reach a final comprehensive peace accord.
Since 2005, fighting between Khartoum-backed Arab militias and African rebel groups in Darfur has resulted in the deaths of more than 300,000 people and created 2.5 million refugees. The number of prisoners being held by either side is not known.
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