JURIST - Paper Chase: International brief ~ Sudan government, rebels sign peace pledge

[JURIST] Sudanese government officials and rebel representatives have signed a pledge to end the country's 21-year-old civil war by the end of the year. The pledge follows a concentrated push by the international community to see the resolution of the conflict, including a rare meeting of the UN Security Council in Nairobi (webcast available here) to specifically address the Sudan question. Just before the signing of the pledge, Germany announced that it will send more than 200 troops to the region to assist the African Union with peacekeeping. The peace agreement was immediately followed by the adoption of Resolution 1574 by the UN Security Council urging peace in the Darfur region, but Sudanese refugees and international aid organizations have criticized the resolution as weak and misguided. JURIST's Paper Chase has background on Sudan. The Sudan Tribune has more on the UN Resolution and more on the pledge. Deutsche Welle has more on Germany's troop deployment.... Government officials in Burundi have delayed a referendum scheduled for next week to address the country's new constitution. The draft constitution has been a source of contention as it calls for a fairly even split of representation between Tutsi and Hutu parties. The wrangling has delayed the elections that, according to the peace treaty signed in Tanzania four years ago, were supposed to have occurred Nov. 1. Instead, the elections have been delayed until next year. Voice of America has more.

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