NAIVASHA, Kenya (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - In a festive ceremony late Wednesday, May 26, the Sudanese government and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) signed three key protocols paving the way to a comprehensive peace deal to end Africa’s longest-running civil war.

The agreements, signed after two years of peace talks in the Kenyan city of Naivasha, settled the status of three disputed areas - the Nuba Mountains, Southern Blue Nile and Abyei, Reuters said.

They also provide for political power-sharing, a split in oil revenues, the maintenance of separate armies with integrated forces deployed in strategic areas and a future referendum allowing southerners to decide whether to remain part of Sudan or secede.

The pacts clear the way for an eventual deal to end a 21-year-old war in the south that has killed an estimated two million people, mainly through famine and disease, and uprooted four million.

Officials of the Khartoum government and the SPLM said they hoped the move could help bring peace to the whole of the vast oil-exporting country.

"Things will not and can never be the same again," SPLM leader John Garang said during the ceremony, drawing cries of joy from south Sudanese women supporters in brightly colored gowns.

"We have reached the crest of the last hill in our tortuous ascent to the heights of peace. The remaining (terrain) is flat," he said after inking the deal with Sudan's First Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha.

"We thank God Almighty who led us to this great achievement," said Taha, adding he hoped the deal would advance peace efforts throughout Africa's biggest country.

"This is a day for Sudan, for peace, development and stability" he stressed.

The conflict between the two sides dates back to before independence from Britain in 1956 and was halted with a 1972 accord, which broke down in 1983.

The clinching of the deals brought international praise Thursday, May 27, with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan hailing it "a major step forward," reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki said the signing was "a victory not only for the people of Sudan... but also for the entire (African) continent."

Washington, which has exerted considerable pressure on Khartoum and the SPLM during the peace negotiations, tempered its congratulations.

"We commend both sides for their commitment to peace and urge them to move quickly to work out details of a formal ceasefire and related security arrangements, as well as the means for implementing the agreements signed today," said U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.

"Sudan will not be at peace until the problem of Darfur is resolved," Powell added, calling on Sudan's government to rein in the militias blamed for the violence and to take steps to end the massive displacement of civilians.

The United States on Tuesday, May 25, took a small step toward easing an arms embargo against Sudan.