South Sudan president says Sudanese leaders making progress
November 16, 2021 (JUBA) – South Sudanese President Salva Kiir said efforts to break a stalemate in the Sudanese crisis were continuing, pointing to the mediation team he had sent to Khartoum after a military coup.
“We are still talking to them because unstable Sudan has an impact in the region. It has political, security and economic too. So, it is a regional matter”, he said adding that the whole region is affected by the crisis that erupted in Khartoum after the military coup of 25 October.
“Because of this, I spoke to leaders in the region, and they asked me to take a lead. I accepted this assignment and sent a team led by my security adviser”, Kiir told a visiting Director for the African division at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) during a meeting held on Monday.
According to a presidential aide who spoke to Sudan on Tuesday, President said that his team went and engaged the Sudanese leaders, resulting in compromises including the prime minister,
“This was good progress. Some officials were released, including Prime Minister Hamdok,” added the South Sudanese official who was referring to Hamdok’s placement under house arrest after his detention on 25 October.
The coup leaders formed a new Sovereign Council where they excluded the members who had been nominated by the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) that cosigned the Constitutional Document government the transitional period on August 17, 2021.
“We are still talking to them, and we hope for the best and hopefully, in coming days there will be something,” the presidential adviser said.
The African Union Commission is expected to send a team to Khartoum tasked with the mediation between the civilian and military components of the transitional declaration.
The African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) suspended Sudan’s membership in the regional body and urged the re-establishment of the transitional authority that it had brokered.
The South Sudanese team had requested the release of Yasir Arman, the Deputy Chairman of SPLM-N Agar. But, the Sudanese military leaders just pledged to release him in the coming days. They made similar pledges to Agar who rejoined the Sovereign Council despite the detention of his deputy.
(ST)