KHARTOUM, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Sunday announced extension of a unilateral cease-fire in the conflict zones until October.
The new cease-fire is effective in the Darfur region and South Kordofan and Blue Nile areas on the border with South Sudan, a source at the Sudanese Presidency told Xinhua.
The previous cease-fire, announced by the Sudanese government in January, ended in June.
Sudan adopted a unilateral six-month cease-fire in January a few days after the U.S. government decided to partially lift the economic sanctions imposed on Sudan for about 20 years.
The U.S. administration under former President Barack Obama demanded Sudan fulfill a package of conditions, including the realization of peace in Sudan within six months, before fully lifting the U.S. sanctions.
The Sudanese government has been fighting the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM)/northern sector at South Kordofan and Blue Nile areas since 2011, where many rounds of peace talks between the two sides in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa have failed to end the conflict.
The Sudanese government has also been fighting armed groups in Darfur region since 2003.
