BEIJING, Jan. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- The Sudanese government and the main southern Sudan rebel group, Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), will sign a comprehensive peace agreement in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Sunday to end the 21-year fighting in southern Sudan.

    More than 20 presidents and heads of government are expected toattend the signing ceremony, according to Kenyan officials.

    The final peace deal was clinched on Dec. 31 after the Sudanese government and the SPLM/A signed two protocols accords on two outstanding issues in the Kenyan northwestern town of Naivasha.

    The first protocol concerned a permanent ceasefire and the second details of how the final peace agreement will be implemented.     

    The following is a brief introduction to the peace process in southern Sudan:     

    Civil war in southern Sudan was ignited in 1983 when rebels took up arms against the government to demand greater autonomy forthe south.

    It is estimated that two decades of conflict have claimed 2 million lives and displaced over four million others. There have been numerous attempts, both internationally and from within Sudan itself, to bring the war to an end.

    The longest running forum has been sponsored by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional body consisting of Sudan and several of her neighboring states.

    Since 1993, the leaders of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Kenya have pursued a peace initiative for Sudan under the auspices of IGAD.

    In 1995, a coalition of internal and exiled opposition parties in the north and the south created the National Democratic Alliance as an anti-government umbrella group.

    Also in 1997, the government signed a series of agreements with rebel factions, led by SPLM/A leader John Garang's former lieutenant Riek Machar, under the banner of "Peace from Within." The agreements called for a degree of autonomy for the south and the right of self-determination.

    In June 2002 a new round of peace negotiations began under IGAD,international observer countries (the United States, Britain, Norway and Italy) were also associated with the talks.

    The session ended on July 20, 2002 when parties signed the Machakos Protocol in Kenyan town of Machakos, which provides a framework for broader negotiations.

    Key provisions of the Machakos Protocol include a six-year interim period, after which a referendum on self-determination will be held in the south.

    This will offer a choice between a united Sudan and secession. The parties are also in agreement that the Sharia law will continue to be applied only in the north.

    During a second round of talks, which started in August 2002, power and wealth sharing were discussed. Sudanese President Hassan Ahmed Al-Bashir and Garang held a historic first meeting in Ugandan capital Kampala.

    On Oct. 15, 2002, the government and the SPLM/A signed an memorandum of understanding, which called for a complete cessation of hostilities for three months, as well calling for unimpeded humanitarian access.

    The Sudanese government and the rebels, who have been at war for more that two decades, removed one major obstacle toward peace in early January 2004 by signing an accord on wealth sharing.

    Of the two remaining issues, the status of three areas on the border between Sudan's north and south is the most contested. The rebels claim territory in Nuba Mountains, Southern Blue Nile, and Abyei, which are currently part of the north.

    On May 26, 2004, the Sudanese government and the SPLM/A, signed three key protocols in Naivasha, 90 km northwest of Nairobi, bringing them one step closer to a comprehensive peace agreement.

    The agreement provides for six years of autonomy for the mainly Christian and animist southern Sudan, to be followed by a referendum on the political future of the region.

    Technical committees are expected to resume talks to work out methods of implementing the six protocols signed to date and agreeon a formula for a permanent ceasefire, after which a comprehensive peace agreement will be signed.

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