South Sudanese official urges inclusive dialogue in Sudan
October 10, 2022 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s presidential advisor on security affairs, Tut Gatluak Manime has called for compromise and inclusive dialogue to end the conflict in neighbouring Sudan.
“From our experience in mediation and negotiation, we know that peace is a process. It is not an event. We also know that meaningful peace cannot be achieved when parties are not ready to talk and make compromises. They need to look beyond their rights and appreciate the value of compromising for the sake of peace, for the sake of stability, and for the sake of people,” explained Manime.
“This is the only way the current political situation in Sudan can be terminated”, he added.
The official said President Salva Kiir has been urging holdout groups to join the peace process due to his desire for peace in Sudan and the region.
This, he stressed, would enable the country embark on a comprehensive cooperation to build economic institutions of the two countries.
“His Excellency, General Salva Kiir Mayardit is talking to those who have not joined the previous peace agreement to join the current peace process in Sudan. He is talking to them and they are listening. And soon, lasting peace will be in Sudan, God willing”, Manime told Sudan Tribune.
The security advisor reiterated his government’s commitment to continue mediating and facilitating peace talks with the Sudanese holdout groups.
He said South Sudan, which seceded from Sudan in 2011, values peaceful coexistence towards pursuing mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-aggression, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, as stipulated in the Cooperation Agreement inked in 2012.
“Our guiding document now in our relations with Sudan is the 2012 Cooperation Agreement. It is the document which emphasizes and upholds the value of cooperation between the countries for the benefit of our people along the border lines, trade and movement”, said Manime.
He said a peaceful Sudan is important for south Sudan because instability in one country could be an economic and security burden in the other.
The security advisor, however, warned that involving many actors in Sudan’s ongoing peace process is likely to cause confusion and spoilt it.
Analyst say one of the main issues affecting the implementation of the 2020 Juba peace agreement is lack of strong guarantors and coherence between the accord and actual policy implementation tools.
They, for instance, observed that there is clear discrepancy between the national government’s public discourse, in which it reassures international actors of its commitment to the peace agreement, and its approach to implementing the provisions of the accord, formulating, and applying policies that do not correspond with the main points of the agreement.
(ST)