Juba welcomes resumption of Sudan talks in Saudi Arabia
October 23, 2023 (JUBA) – South Sudan has welcomed the resumption of peace talks on Sudan in Saudi Arabia, saying it would restore peace in the country.
“We received reports that the warring parties in Sudan will on Thursday resumption discussions in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which is commendable”, the country’s Foreign Affairs minister, James Pitia Morgan told Sudan Tribune on Monday.
He said President Salva Kiir commended Saudi Arabia, the United States government, African Union (AU), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the frontline states, the United Nations, the Gulf States and all those who have been persistent in the quest for peace and stability in Sudan.
“Sudan is a key player in regional peace and security”, stressed the minister.
South Sudan’s presidential adviser on security affairs, Tut Gatluak Manime also resumption of Sudan’s peace talks, saying the military leadership in Sudan had confirmed their readiness to resume discussions with the Rapid Support Force (RSF) within the framework of a ceasefire and providing access to humanitarian aid.
“His Excellency President Salva Kiir has been informed of the resumption of peace talks on Thursday. This development has now boosted the efforts of his excellency to coordinate and consolidate the process with a view to secure ceasefire as the priority and allow access to humanitarian organizations to aid”, he explained.
Talks between the Sudanese army (SAF) and the RSF leadership in the Saudi capital, Jeddah stalled in June 2023 after the Sudanese military withdrew from the process, citing the paramilitary’s forces violation of an agreed upon ceasefire.
During the Jeddah peace talks, the Sudanese military also demanded the withdrawal of the RSF from civilian settlements and relocation to cantonment sites far away from civilians in urban towns and centers in Khartoum and elsewhere as a demonstration of commitment to pledges it made during the negotiations.
The regional bloc (IGAD) proposed the deployment of a regional force and new peace negotiations, with this offer coming weeks after talks in Jeddah were suspended by the US and Saudi Arabia following numerous ceasefire violations.
Fighting between the Sudanese army and RSF erupted on April 15 over tensions linked to a planned transition to civilian rule. An estimated 9,000 people, the UN says, people have been killed and another 5.6 million forced to flee their homes.
(ST)