South Sudan prepares to welcome Sudanese prime minister
October 8, 2025 (JUBA) – South Sudan is preparing to welcome the Sudanese prime minister in a bid to reactivate diplomatic relations strained by conflicts in both countries.
South Sudan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Monday Semaya Kumba, told reporters on Tuesday that Sudanese Prime Minister Kamal Idris would visit Juba in the coming days. Kumba confirmed that “preparations and bilateral arrangements” were underway for the visit.
The minister added that he was in Port Sudan over the weekend for bilateral talks with Sudanese military leaders.
The Red Sea port city has served as Sudan’s de facto capital and a hub for humanitarian and diplomatic activities since the country’s leadership relocated from Khartoum after the conflict erupted in 2023.
Political uncertainty in South Sudan and the war in Sudan have hampered economic activities between the two nations. Juba has maintained a neutral stance in the conflict while facing severe economic and humanitarian spillover effects.
In a statement on Tuesday, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said the country’s political crisis is exacerbating the humanitarian situation. According to a new UN report, over 497,000 people have been newly displaced this year, with conflict displacing nearly 321,000 and floods displacing 175,000. The influx of returnees and refugees from Sudan is placing additional strain on already overstretched services.
Political and military activities have restricted humanitarian access, with at least 70 incidents reported in September. This figure, unchanged from August, is more than double the 33 incidents recorded in September 2024 and reflects a sharp increase in violence targeting aid workers and supplies. The UN warned that without an urgent restoration of access, a full-scale food and nutrition catastrophe is possible.
South Sudanese officials believe President Salva Kiir’s historical knowledge of the leaders in Sudan’s conflict positions him as a key regional mediator for a settlement.
Kiir, a former Sudanese military officer, first joined the rebellion against the state in 1983. He had previously been absorbed into the army under the 1972 peace agreement that ended the first North-South civil war. That conflict began in 1955, shortly before Sudan’s independence from Anglo-Egyptian rule in 1956.
President Kiir and his administration have also played a role in mediating peace agreements in Sudan. Before the 2023 conflict, Juba hosted negotiations between Sudan’s transitional government and armed groups, though the current war has largely stalled these efforts.
The war in Sudan has severely damaged South Sudan’s fragile economy. Disruptions to oil exports via Sudanese pipelines have led to a significant drop in production and a currency crisis with high inflation. In April 2025, analysts noted the country’s closer ties with the UAE, a sponsor of the RSF, were likely driven by these economic difficulties.
Analysts fear the spread of fighting and weapons from Sudan threatens to destabilize South Sudan and undermine its fragile peace agreement. There are also reports that armed groups from South Sudan have been drawn into the conflict, seeking weapons and support from both warring Sudanese factions.