Quotes of the Day

The handshake was met with cheers and ululations, a woman sang a song of peace in the Dinka language, and somebody shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is great").

The negotiators — representatives of Sudan's Islamic government and rebels from the animist or Christian south — had reason to smile: after 20 years of war, this is the closest they have ever come to peace. At a peace conference in Naivasha, Kenya, they agreed to split the country's oil wealth equally for the next six years, when the south will hold a referendum on independence.

For once, oil may have been a factor in ending — rather than prolonging — a conflict. The government's control of the southern wells had put the rebels, who've been fighting for self-determination, in a tough spot. Each of the 250,000 barrels produced per day — earning annual revenues of around $2 billion — meant more money for the north to arm its soldiers. "People would rather share the oil than destroy themselves," says rebel leader John Garang. "It is better to get a half-empty cup than an empty one."

But a final agreement won't bring peace for all Sudanese. Even as negotiators celebrated, fighting ripped through western Sudan, where battles between the government and another rebel group have killed 3,000 people.

• STEPHAN FARIS
• For once, oil may have been a factor in ending — rather than prolonging — a conflict