S. Sudan official praises U.S. effort to restore civilian government in Sudan
April 11, 2023 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deng Dau Malek has lauded the United States efforts to support regional and international engagements aimed at resolving the political crisis in Sudan.
Malek, in an interview with the Sudan Tribune on Tuesday, highlighted Sudan’s regional and international significance and its role as a guarantor of South Sudan’s peace deal and chair of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
The South Sudanese official praised the U.S administration for its complementary role in the political process in Sudan, which he described as “commendable”.
He emphasized the importance of a home-grown approach to resolving protracted political disputes like the conflict in South Sudan, while advocating for an interplay of formal and informal resolution mechanisms, with the latter taking the lead in the peace-making process.
The minister argued that peace processes take time and that the assumption that formal liberal mechanisms employed by the state could resolve political issues was problematic.
He instead proposed a hybrid dispute resolution mechanism that includes indigenous mechanisms by a committee of eminent chiefs, which had always been successful in resolving political issues.
Malek called on Sudan’s allies to complement the ongoing efforts to ensure a peaceful resolution of the issues causing the actors not to form a government.
His comments followed a conversation between Sudan’s Chairman of the Sovereign Council, Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and the U.S Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, with the latter urging Sudan to expedite the formation a civil-led administration.
(ST)