On February 4 the Sudanese government (Khartoum) and the SPLA reached a new (if tentative) ceasefire agreement. One element of the new agreement is a communications committee that will be informed of all troop movements in advance. The agreement also requires the Sudanese government to end work on a new highway in the oil field region until a final peace agreement is signed (because the highway is not only a target for the SPLA but a means of moving government troops). Though it isnt a new promise, the ceasefire deal creates a new verification and monitoring committee that is supposed to have unhindered access to battle areas where ceasefire violations have occurred. Both sides also agreed to hand back areas over which they have gained control since October 2002.