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Thousands of Sudanese cheer former rebel's return to Khartoum
Associated Press
Published July 9, 2005
KHARTOUM, Sudan - Former rebel leader John Garang made a triumphant return to Khartoum on Friday, greeted as a brother by the president and as a pop star by hundreds of thousands of supporters hopeful for a new era after Africa's longest civil war.
His arrival on a scorching summer day was a landmark step in a U.S.-backed January peace deal that requires Sudan's Muslim-dominated, northern-based regime to share power and wealth with long-marginalized southerners. Garang is to be sworn in to the government's second-most powerful post today.
A red carpet greeting at Khartoum's airport was followed by an official welcoming reception during which President Omar el-Bashir held his former enemy's hand in the air and repeatedly called him "our brother."
"You will find the hearts of all Sudanese open to you," el-Bashir promised. "This war has stopped finally and forever."
A smiling Garang told the nearly 400 guests under a large tent at the ruling party headquarters that he was home among his people.
"I congratulate the Sudanese people. This is not my peace or the peace of el-Bashir; it is the peace of the Sudanese people," he said.
Garang, a warrior from southern Sudan's large Dinka tribe, was a key partner in peace talks. The January agreement ended the 21-year civil war that left more than 2-million dead, mostly through war-induced famine.
Many in Khartoum saw his arrival as a prelude to better times and an end to fighting. A new government is to be installed in August, offering hope of a better life in Africa's largest country.
In the city's Green Square, Garang had been scheduled to give a speech, but the pressing crowd caused security officials to pull him away after barely 15 minutes.
Security was to remain tight through today, when Garang will be inaugurated as first vice president. The two leaders also were expected to sign a new constitution allowing greater human rights and freedoms.
[Last modified July 9, 2005, 01:02:12]
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