Promising a new "atmosphere of freedoms", Sudan's President Omar al-Ba-shir declared on April ist that he would release all political prisoners; seven prominent ones were immediately freed. His ministers are set to attend a conference on April 7th in Qatar, where billions of dollars may be pledged for the long-term development of Darfur, the western region which Mr Bashir's army and proxy militias ravaged earlier this century, earning the president an indictment at the International Criminal Court in The Hague for alleged genocide. To round off a list of hopeful new departures, Mr Bashir's long-running row with South Sudan, which seceded from his rump state two years ago, may at last have been ended, thanks to an agreement that was signed last month.
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