South Sudan President to brief cabinet on Sudan conflict
July 16, 2023 (JUBA) – South Sudan President Salva Kiir is to brief cabinet and members of the country’s ruling party (SPLM) on his recent trip to Cairo, Egypt.
Kiir returned on Thursday from a summit held in Egypt to discuss the crisis in Sudan.
The presidential adviser on security matters, Tut Gatluak said the South Sudanese leader will convene a high-level meeting to brief members of his cabinet and other stakeholders on what transpired during last week’s summit on Sudan’s crisis.
“This [meeting] is going to take place soon. The president just returned on Friday and became occupied with other commitments and engagements requiring his attention. When his table is free, he will provide the briefing to the cabinet and other members of parties participating in the Transitional Government of National Unity. It will be a briefing at the higher level”, he told Sudan Tribune on Sunday.
Separately, the Presidential Affairs minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin said Kiir would brief his cabinet and others on the outcome of the meeting held in Cairo.
“It is true, it is the plan of His Excellency the President to convene a briefing to the cabinet and the stakeholders of the revitalized agreement on the resolution of the conflict in the Republic of South Sudan who are participating in the transitional government national unity. Other actors, including the members of faith-based groups, civil society organisations, women, youth and opinion leaders, and academics will also be briefed. Their opinions are important. The briefing will be thorough and inclusive because of Sudan’s significance to the region”, he said. Marial said Sudan’s crisis undermines the peace, stability and economy of the region.
While speaking during last week’s summit in Cairo President Kiir rejected forceful foreign intervention in Sudan, stressing the need for an African solution to the crisis.
“It is true to everyone that the conflict in Sudan undermines peace and stability but it remains an internal issue. The sovereignty of Sudan and its unity is paramount”, he said.
Heads of state and governments from South Sudan, Egypt, Chad, the Central Africa Republic (CAR), Ethiopia as well as Eritrea attended the one-day summit.
The summit was organised as part of efforts to “develop effective mechanisms” for peacefully resolving Sudan’s disputes through regional and international efforts.
The South Sudanese leader further argued that any solution to the current political and security situation in Sudan should respect sovereign and territorial integrity.
He specifically emphasized the significance of coordination of the efforts to peacefully settle the conflict using African solutions for solving Africa’s problems.
“Our priorities, including African solutions to the African problems”, stressed.
The summit, chaired the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, sought regional and international efforts to adopt a comprehensive solution to the crisis in Sudan.
“The leaders also called on the parties to the conflict to de-escalate and commit to an immediate and sustainable cease-fire to end the war and avoid further loss of innocent civilian Sudanese lives, and further destruction of property,” partly reads a communique issued at the summit.
Also agreed, it noted, was that the current conflict is an internal Sudanese affair and stressed the need for ending any external interferences in the ongoing crisis.
“Such interferences protract the conflict and obstruct efforts to contain its escalation and reach an agreed settlement that will restore stability and security in Sudan,” it noted.
Calls were also made to the international community to step up efforts to provide crucial humanitarian aid and address urgent shortages in food and medical supplies as measures towards alleviating the serious hardships caused by the crisis,
“In this context, the leaders urged various Sudanese parties to provide the necessary protection for humanitarian assistance and personnel and to facilitate their mission of delivering assistance to those in need,” stressed the communique.
The summit agreed to form a ministerial mechanism comprising of foreign ministers of Sudan’s neighbours to coordinate common efforts to resolve Sudan’s conflict.
Clashes since 15 April, 2023 between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have killed nearly 3,000 people. Another 3 million, according to the United Nations, have been forced from their homes inside the country with almost 650,000 fleeing across borders for safety.
Up to 25 million people in Sudan need humanitarian aid and protection, the UN says.
(ST)