diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 913a90f0885eea3492decf86d84195532a706903..6b7479d6e7fe8d91de47e74e2371fe57a2307edc 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -60,7 +60,8 @@ version 0.9.4 -- unreleased
 	 . Does not pretend anymore that duplicity can work without
 	   any passphrase
 	 . Support duplicity 0.4.2 (with Debian patches applied; upstream's
-	   0.4.3 will integrate them)
+	   0.4.3 will integrate them); documented how to write sftp-compatible
+           sshoptions (Closes: #388543)
 	 . Now forbid to (try to) include /.
 	sys:
 	 . Many more system checks were added, (thanks to Petr Kl�ma)
diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index f866125c7a68270564d0846177297f0091640fd2..361cf3c030ce3d31c9237daf1281a7dfb0d5061c 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -14,6 +14,14 @@ backupninja (0.9.4-1) UNRELEASED
 	  Please read the new /usr/share/doc/backupninja/examples/example.dup
 	  or /usr/share/doc/backupninja/examples/example.rdiff file, and update
 	  your own configuration files if needed.
+
+	* duplicity: duplicity now uses sftp, which does not support all scp
+	  command line options; you thus have to convert the sshoptions setting
+	  in your *.dup configuration files, to sftp-compatible syntax; for
+	  example, you can replace:
+	    sshoptions = -i /root/.ssh/id_dsa_duplicity
+	  with:
+	    sshoptions = -o IdentityFile=/root/.ssh/id_dsa_duplicity
 	
 backupninja (0.9.2-1) unstable; urgency=low
 
diff --git a/examples/example.dup b/examples/example.dup
index 457883c35166fcd8087bdca984754bc4b7297484..0e7ed950651a046118460b9982135085e0723467 100644
--- a/examples/example.dup
+++ b/examples/example.dup
@@ -119,8 +119,10 @@ exclude = /home/*/.gnupg
 # bandwith limit, in kbit/s ; default is 0, i.e. no limit
 #bandwidthlimit = 128
 
-# passed directly to ssh and scp
-sshoptions = -i /root/.ssh/id_dsa_duplicity
+# passed directly to ssh, scp (and sftp in duplicity >=0.4.2)
+# warning: sftp does not support all scp options, especially -i; as
+# a workaround, you can use "-o <SSHOPTION>"
+sshoptions = -o IdentityFile=/root/.ssh/id_dsa_duplicity
 
 # put the backups under this directory
 destdir = /backups
diff --git a/handlers/dup.helper b/handlers/dup.helper
index da299c6e46712b766066b8da0b78ecbd16a82d5b..eee025666b562a9fa10b6242a097e8b25be78e39 100644
--- a/handlers/dup.helper
+++ b/handlers/dup.helper
@@ -401,8 +401,10 @@ keep = $dup_keep
 #bandwidthlimit = 128
 bandwidthlimit = $dup_bandwidth
 
-# passed directly to ssh and scp
-#sshoptions = -i /root/.ssh/id_dsa_duplicity
+# passed directly to ssh, scp (and sftp in duplicity >=0.4.2)
+# warning: sftp does not support all scp options, especially -i; as
+# a workaround, you can use "-o <SSHOPTION>"
+#sshoptions = -o IdentityFile=/root/.ssh/id_dsa_duplicity
 sshoptions = $dup_sshoptions
 
 # put the backups under this directory