South Sudan’s president says against Sudan’s disintegration
April 22, 2024 (JUBA) – South Sudan President Salva Kiir has raised an alarm over the war in Sudan, saying the country should not be allowed to split.
“Sudan is too important, a country, in the African context, that cannot be abandoned to be consumed by its internal conflict. It can not be allowed to disintegrate”, said Kiir.
He made the remarks during a visit of his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa where they discussed the status of implementation of the September 2018 peace agreement.
South Africa, Uganda, and Sudan were guarantors of the deal. The African Union entrusted the five member countries with periodic review and evaluation of the status of the agreement. This committee, known as C5, comprises Algeria, Rwanda, Nigeria, Tanzania, and South Africa as the chair.
The South Sudanese leader explained that Sudan was a buffer zone of turmoil in Africa for it to be allowed to be consumed by its internal conflict.
He did not suggest what the continent should do.
“And as you know, Sudan is a buffer between the two zones of turmoil in Africa and if it is to be allowed to be consumed by its internal conflict, I think the whole of the heart of Africa and maybe the whole of Africa will be bleeding”, he warned.
Kiir explained where the two zones exist and how internal conflicts have been negatively affecting regional peace and stability over past decades.
“The first zone, from these two zones extends from Libya to the Great Lakes region. This zone has been experiencing perennial conflicts emanating from legitimate political cases. Nobody can dismiss the genuineness of these conflicts in the region. For example, there is political opposition in Chad. It has its genuine political reasons for existence. There was a conflict in Darfur which we addressed with the signing of the 2020 Juba Peace Agreement but this agreement was affected by the eruption of the current conflict between the rapid support force and the Sudan armed forces. the implementation has now stalled and the signatories of the agreement are now divided in this fight. Some are with Sudan armed forces and others have taken a neutral position. there is another in Central Africa Republic,” said Kiir.
He added, “Conflicts by groups without political agenda such as the one in northern Uganda led by Lord Resistance Army. There is confusion resulting from the fragility of democracy in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)”.
Kiir hinted on chaos of ethnic groups by unruly groups such as those operating between and around the region straddling Rwanda and Uganda.
“We think all these problems if they are not handled in a way that they can be resolved, there can be no peace in the region. And if there is no peace in that region, I think it will also affect the whole of Africa. And if the continent is affected, I think it will extend to the rest of the world,” he remarked.
Kiir said the second zone is the Horn of Africa, which is hit by terrorist activities the Al Shabaab in Somalia, and internal political issues in Eritrea and Ethiopia.
He cited the standoff between Ethiopia and Somalia over access to the sea.
“If this is not resolved and the two countries provide support to the opposition in each other’s country, it can create another havoc in the horns,” he warned.
Sudan therefore lies between two conflict zones that cut across Africa with ramifications extending from the Atlantic oceans in the west of the Indian Ocean into the east.
Political analysts say the threat of conflict in this region to global peace is a matter of prime concern to everyone and should not be underestimated.T
As such, arresting this current conflict in Sudan and averting inflammation of other wars will provide a breeding ground for many terrorism groups.
(ST)