Date: Wednesday, 05 July 2017
July 5, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan’s Vice-President Hassabo Mohamed Abdel-Rahman Tuesday has asked South Sudan’s First Vice-President Taban Deng Gai to stop all forms of support to Sudanese rebel groups, said Sudan’s Foreign Minister.
Juba has been always accused by the Sudan, various observer groups and armed oppositions of harboring Sudanese rebels and in fact letting them fight alongside its own force. The government in Juba has always denied the accusations.
In statements to the official news agency SUNA, Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghanodur said Abdel-Rahman and Gai met on the sidelines of the African summit in Addis Ababa in the presence of a number of ministers from both sides.
He pointed out that the discussions on bilateral relations were candid and transparent, saying the Sudanese side has clearly mentioned the need to stop Juba’s support for the Darfur rebels and the Sudan People Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N).
According to the top diplomat, Abdel-Rahman stressed that Sudan is ready to establish positive and strong relations with South Sudan considering that we used to be one country and would remain neighbors and brothers.
Ghandour added he handed over his South Sudanese counterpart Deng Alor an invitation from President Omer al-Bashir to President Salva Kiir Myardit to visit Khartoum.
He pointed the two sides agreed to hold a meeting for the joint political and security committee ahead of the visit.
For his part, Gai said the meeting was successful and transparent, calling for the need to improve relations between the two countries.
He added the two sides should work together to ensure the success of President Kiir visit to Khartoum.
South Sudan seceded from Sudan on July 9th, 2011 following a referendum on whether the semi-autonomous region should remain a part of the country or become independent. 99% of the southern voters chose independence.
Relations between the two nations soured after South Sudan’s independence following a series of disputes over a number of issues and accusations of support to rebel groups.
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July 5, 2017 (JUBA) – The reunification was South Sudan’s ruling party (SPLM) remains the best option for ending the conflict in the young nation, Daniel Awet Akot, an advisor to the president said Monday.
The ruling party official told Sudan Tribune said he was optimistic the upcoming reunification meeting scheduled to take place in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, paves way for reaching a consensus aimed at ending the ongoing conflict.
Akot said the reunification meeting scheduled to take place week will bring together four different factions to discuss the way forward.
“The reunification is important because the conflict started with the SPLM leadership and people are urging for it and saying that peace can only come to the country if the SPLM leaders resolve their differences. They even say when SPLM splits, communities split and country gets into serious political and security matters. This is what we should not encourage,” the presidential advisor told Sudan Tribune.
“We need to avoid it by making SPLM united until when time comes for peaceful secession and gradual transformation takes place in the SPLA [Sudan People’s Liberation Army]”, he added.
According to the official, the faction of the armed opposition under the leadership of the former First-Vice President, Riek Machar will participate in the forthcoming meeting scheduled for 12 July, 2017.
The Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has invited South Sudan’s rebel leader Riek Machar to attend a meeting aimed at the reunification of the different SPLM factions.
In May this year, three factions of South Sudan’s ruling party agreed in Kampala to set aside their differences and work out a roadmap to reunify the historical party.
The meeting was, however, boycotted by the Machar-led armed opposition faction.
“Your representatives are hereby invited to attend so that mediation process is all inclusive. Eventually, you could come in person after we harmonize in the region,” partly reads Museveni’s 26 June letter obtained by Sudan Tribune.
“I have met the different representative of SPLM factions. During the last meeting, it was agreed that all SPLM factions be represented in the subsequent meetings," it added.
South Sudan was plunged into conflict in December 2013 as the rivalry between Kiir and his then-Vice President, Riek Machar, turned into a civil war. The fighting, which has often been along ethnic lines, triggered Africa’s worst refugee crisis, with over three million people fleeing their home
