KHARTOUM, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese government on Thursday voiced commitment to implement the peace deal that it recently signed with armed rebel groups.

Mohamed Hamdan Daqlu, deputy chairman of Sudan's Sovereign Council and head of the government's negotiating delegation, on Thursday returned to the capital Khartoum from South Sudanese capital Juba, accompanied by the representatives of the armed movements which signed the deal.

"As of today, we have folded the page of armed struggle and entered the phase of peace, construction and development," said Daqlu at a press conference at the Khartoum airport.

Daqlu mentioned his meeting with Abdel Aziz Al-Hilu, leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM)/northern sector which did not sign the peace deal.

He said the meeting "broke the stalemate" which was hindering resumption of the peace talks, vowing to bring about peace with Al-Hilu and Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) leader Abdul-Wahid Mohamed Nur.

Meanwhile, Yasir Arman, deputy chairman of the SPLM/northern sector, led by Malik Agar, told the press conference that the visit by the delegation of the armed movements to Khartoum marked the actual beginning of the implementation of the peace deal.

On Oct. 3, the Sudanese government and the armed groups signed a final peace deal in Juba to end their armed conflicts.

The deal ends about 17 years of conflict in Sudan's Darfur region and about nine years of war in South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions.

According to UN statistics, the Darfur conflict, which erupted in 2003, has left around 300,000 dead and 2.5 million others displaced, while the war in South Kordofan and Blue Nile has affected about 1 million people since its outbreak in 2011.

The final peace deal included protocols of security arrangements, power and wealth sharing, compensation for the displaced people and refugees, land ownership and realization of justice and development.

Since October 2019, South Sudan has been mediating between the Sudanese government and the armed groups from Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions.

Sudan's Justice and Equality Movement, led by Jibril Ibrahim, the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) /Minni Minnawi faction, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM)/northern sector and opposition groups from eastern, central and northern Sudan, took part in the talks with the government.

But the SPLM/northern sector led by Abdel-Aziz Al-Hilu, did not ink the peace deal, while the SLM/Abdul-Wahid Mohamed Nur faction even refused to join the peace talks. Enditem

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