Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged all parties in Sudan to redouble their efforts to secure a peaceful future.
The Prime Minister said:
'Today, on the fifth anniversary of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, I urge all parties in Sudan to redouble their efforts to secure a peaceful future for their people.
Much has been achieved in the last five years, but we cannot be complacent. Sudan's leaders have a duty to rise to the remaining challenges, to turn an interim agreement into lasting peace for all their people - including in Darfur, where I call on all parties to work for greater security, economic development, and the release of kidnapped humanitarian workers.
In 2005 the United Kingdom was proud to be a guarantor of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended Sudan's painful civil war. As Sudan enters the critical phase of this agreement we will now step up our engagement still further.
This year we will contribute over =A3200 million for peacekeeping, peacebuilding, emergency relief and the delivery of basic services such as health and education. This week we have committed =A354 million to humanitarian assistance across Sudan, peace-building in southern Sudan and election preparations.
Sudan's recent history has been one too often marked by violence, insecurity, and poverty for its people. Sudan's leaders - with the support of the international community - must not allow this also to be the story of Sudan's future.'