JUBA, South Sudan

The international community must rally behind Sudan as it finalizes a peace deal to ensure years of unrest are in the past, according to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Deng Dau Deng.

“The peace deal will be signed on Oct. 3 and this would form a very important message to our ambassadors in Juba and our friendly countries, for them to be able to invest in supporting the peace process in the Republic of Sudan,” Deng said Friday at a briefing of the diplomatic community on the status of the peace deal.

Sudan is set to sign the deal next month in Khartoum.

“This is the right time. The peace implementation will require financial support and expertise to undertake rehabilitation, reconstruction of physical and social infrastructure damaged during the war,” he said.

The deal accords a lifetime opportunity to Sudanese people to put years of war behind them and embark on development while addressing the fundamental root causes of the conflict, he said.

Deputy Minister of Defense and Veteran Affairs Malek Ruben said the government and different groups agreed clearly on points of national interest.

“The parties considered to jointly agree on national issues that includes identity, public freedom, human rights, separating religion from state, constitution making process, distribution of power and wealth and social justice and equality,” he said.

South Sudan has offered to mediate between parties to the crisis since unrest led to the overthrow of longtime President Omar Bashir in April 2019.