South Sudan hopes for meaningful ceasefire talks on Sudan
November 2, 2023 (JUBA) – South Sudan on Thursday said it was hoping for meaningful and successful talks on Sudan, citing the severity of the humanitarian situation and escalation of the conflict that has displaced over 5 million people.
In an interview with Sudan Tribune, security advisor Tut Gatluak Manime said the Sudanese people, friends and leaders from the region were all focusing on the outcomes of talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
“If you are a Sudanese, in Sudan or outside, you must be closely following developments in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This is exactly the same with friends, either in the region or leaders of the international community, and for this reason, everyone is hoping for meaningful and successful talks,” he explained.
The South Sudanese official said President Salva Kiir and members of his administration are in constant contact with the Sudanese leaders in the conflict with a view of persuading them to concentrate on the talks, not the war.
“We have also appealed to them to provide access to humanitarian organizations to provide relief items and provide access to the civil population to leave their homes or receive essential supplies without hindrance,” he told Sudan Tribune.
Manine said the Sudanese parties gave Kiir the go-ahead to invite stakeholders for talks to end the conflict between the army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“You recall that the Sudanese leaders who came here and held their consultative talks from 23 to 25 October 2023, for the purpose of thinking about ways to stop the war in Sudan, unanimously all agreed and decided that President Kiir should invite all political and civil forces in Sudan, in preparation for South Sudan to host peace negotiations that will contribute to ending the war in Sudan”, he stressed.
Manine said the parties in Sudan support the US-Saudi-led talks to end the war,
The adviser, who mediated the 2020 Juba peace deal, said all meetings organized in Juba and neigbouring nations compliment ongoing talks in Jeddah.
He reiterated Kiir’s comitment to coordinate with Sudanese parties and leaders in the region, stressing that the war in Sudan was directly affecting countries in the region already struggling to improve their own economic and security situations.
(ST)